SwitchARoo
by XiXi Scarlett
Summary: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the locker rooms, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, that's a strange one."
1. And the Switcharoo Starts!

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.

Title: Switch-A-Roo

Rating: T

Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."

Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.)

* * *

No matter what she says, I am not going to an 'All Girls Etiquette School'. Nope, not going. So why am I dressed in a plaid skirt, white button up shirt, and plaid tie? It's all part of the plan, you see? I tell Mom that I'm walking to school, so I need to leave earlier. That's partially correct. It takes about thirty minutes on foot to get to the all girls school, but that's not where I'm going. I'm going to the all boys school, which is only about ten minutes away. The reason I leave earlier is so I can change. Then, after school, I'll just drop by the gas station to change again. Pretty simple.

_I wonder what it'll be like. Entering in the middle of the year...I'll probably be all friendless and stuff._

"'Bye, Mom! See ya, West!" I don't know why I call my older brother 'West' instead of Ludwig. I'm not even sure where I got the name from.

I jog to the gas station and enter the bathroom. The boy's school doesn't have a uniform so I'm safe going with jeans and a t-shirt. The only thing I have to avoid there is anybody finding out my gender and West. He's older than me, so we most likely won't have any classes together.

Speaking of classes, do you want to know how I got a schedule in the first place? Well, my friend Feliks would much rather be in a girl's school than a boy's school, and we pulled the ol' switch-a-roo. Switching names was pretty easy, too. We just had to explain that there was a 'misunderstanding', and that my name is Gilbert Beilschmidt, the boy who's supposed to go to that school, and that Feliks is Felicia Lukasiewicz, the girl. Surprisingly, they believed it.

The gender thing will be easy. Mom taught me how to bind my chest, should I find myself in a situation where the females are executed. She's a little kooky, but I'm grateful for her. This is probably one skill I'll never forget. Who knows? Maybe I _will _find myself in a situation like that.

After changing, I gather my long silver-ish hair on the top of my head and clip it there. Then, I put on a purple baseball cap. Purple isn't too weird, right? I've seen boys wear purple hats before. There we go! Now I can pass off as a boy.

I leave the gas station and start walking to the school. Soon enough, I'm there. Some of the boys who go to the boarding school that the school doubles as are already milling about around the lockers. I guess I must be a bit early. I take a little extra time arranging things in my locker before shutting it. A few of the boys just stare at me. Is my cover already blown? I shake my head slightly. No, it can't be.

Around seven forty, more boys start to come in. By seven fifty, the hallway is extremely noisy. Now would be a good time to get to first period. I look at my schedule. Wow, this school is weird! We're supposed to be here at eight, but first period doesn't even start until eight thirty. I begin to trek across the giant school building towards where my first period classroom and all of the other classrooms are when a hand touches my shoulder.

"You're going the wrong way," a Spanish-accented voice says.

I see a boy with brown hair and a friendly smile. "I am? But it says..."

"The thirty minutes beforehand, we have to go to a club room. It's how they do attendance here," he informs me. "I'm Antonio."

"And I'm Francis," a voice whispers in my hear.

I flinch with a 'waah!' escaping my lips. "Uh...I'm Gil-" I clear my throat to cover up my mistake of almost saying 'Gilda'. "I'm Gilbert."

Francis throws an arm around my shoulder. "You will be our friend, non?"

"Um, sure...?" I'm not sure whether that sounded like a question or an answer, but I think they took it as an answer.

Now Antonio has his arm around me, and I'm stuck in the middle of two boys I just met. Maybe this is what boys always do. Instead of just standing there awkwardly, I put my arms around their shoulders. That's what I'm supposed to do, right? We start happily walking toward club room 306, Antonio explaining that we're all most likely in the same classes. He says that all the new students usually get put into their class. I look towards the floor a little as we get near West because I don't want him to recognize me. I notice he's being followed by a boy who looks like a little lost puppy, and I snicker a little at the sight.

"Zat's Feliciano. He follows Ludwig around wherever he goes," Francis tells me when he notices me looking. "It iz quite funny."

A boy who looks identical to Feliciano comes up to him and starts telling him off for following around someone. There are quite a few curses in between each word, and it seems like he ends every other sentence with 'dammit!'.

"And that's Lovino, his brother," Antonio says. "Isn't he adorable? Looking out for his brother like that."

"Yeah, sure," I say awkwardly.

"Antonio's always liked the weird ones," Francis comments. "I prefer ze good-looking and actually pleasant ones. He goes after ze ones I don't like. What type of boys do you prefer?"

"Erm..." This is awkward. Does he know I'm a girl, or is he asking if 'Gilbert' is gay? I decide to answer both honestly (even though it doesn't matter which one I answer; he'll still assume Gilbert is gay.) "I like the quiet, smart types."

"Zere's not many of those around here, Gilbert." Francis winks at me. "But I might be able to find you someone."

I blush a little. We soon come to large brown doors with the gold numbers '306' on them. I release myself from in between the two boys and open, holding it for Antonio and Francis as they walk through. There are quite a few people there already, and I start to wonder whether we're late or not.

"How nice of you to join us," an old, strict-looking lady drawls. Yep, we're late. "And who might you be, young man?"

For a split-second I forget she's referring to me, but I reply, "I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt, ma'am."

"Ah, yes. The new student. I'm Mrs. Krumse. Take a seat over there with your..._friends_," She spits the word 'friends' as if it were venom and gestures towards the back of the room where Francis and Antonio are seated.

Some of the boys stare at me as I walk down the aisles towards where she gestured. Mrs. Krumse starts to take roll, and I conclude that she does _not _want to be here. After what seems like eternity, she finishes roll and disappears into her office, telling us to not bother her until the remaining time is up.

"So she just lets us sit and talk?" I question.

Antonio nods. "She hates having to deal with us. Besides, we don't learn here anyway. The most we learn is the important events that will happen this week, and even those are just written on the board. At least you could introduce yourself to everyone."

"Yeah," I agree.

As if on cue, a couple of people stroll up to the desk. Well, one of them runs up.

"Hey, dude!" the boy who ran up greets over-excitedly. He has brown hair with a part that sticks up, glasses, and he's wearing a bomber jacket. "You're the new kid! I'm Alfred! Whoa, you're eyes look like they're red, dude! That's totally badass!"

"Um, thanks," I say, unsure of how I'm supposed to react. "You have nice glasses...?"

"Come on, dude, you don't have to compliment me back! That's such a girly thing to do!" This Alfred guy sure says 'dude' a lot.

"I'm sorry about my brother," a soft voice says. A boy that looks almost identical to Alfred seems to materialize next to him. "I'm Matthew."

"I'm Gilbert, but I guess you already know that, huh?"

After Matthew eventually has to drag Alfred away (it's a good thing, too. Alfred was beginning to annoy me.), a few more people introduce themselves. There's a British kid called Arthur (but I think I'll call him 'Eyebrows'. Besides, don't guys call each other stupid names?), a boy that looks like he'd be boring and very stuck-up called Roderich, an Asian boy called Kiku, and a few other people I don't really pay much attention to. Feliciano also comes up to introduce himself (with a not-so-happy looking Lovino being dragged along with him) in a sing song voice. I notice that he tends to add 've~' to his sentences every so often, sort of like how Lovino adds 'dammit!' and that one Chinese boy adds 'aru!'. And I can't forget that creepy Russian kid that adds 'da' and just watches everybody. I think it's especially creepy when he looked at me and started making a weird noise that sounded like 'kolkolkol'. Is that even normal?

The bell rings, and the teacher comes out of her office for just a moment to dismiss us with a wave. Antonio waits by my locker with me while Francis is off flirting with one unlucky boy. He comments on how clean it is compared to other he'd seen. I shrug and follow him to first period.

The school is divided into two buildings, and they are both connected by a bridge because one building is on one side of the river, and the other is on the other side. Building A has all of the club rooms, the lunch room, a theatre, and rooms where only teachers are allowed. Building B has all of the classrooms, a gymnasium, and a field is outside for playing sports. There is a pathway going from Building B to the dorms where the boarding school students stay.

I have an odd fear of bridges-I always think that they're going to suddenly fall under my feet while I'm walking over them, and then me and everybody else on the bridge will drown and die-so I walk slower than Antonio across it. Noticing this, he starts to slow down and match my pace.

"It's alright. This bridge is really stable, so it won't break. Not even if three hundred elephants were on it," he reassures me.

"There's still a possibility it could fall!" I protest, trying to keep my voice from going all high-pitched. "Then we'd all die by either our head hitting the rocks-and-slash-or-bottom or drowning!"

He mutters something that sounds like _'loco' _under his breath. Out loud, Antonio says, "I suggest you run across. What if the bridge falls while you're-"

I don't even let him finish his sentence. In an instant, I'm across the bridge. I am _not _gonna die because I was going too slow on a bridge! Antonio catches up, laughing. Right before we enter the classroom, Francis re-joins us. He's grinning.

"Do I want to know?" I ask, partially to myself and partially to them. I've only known these guys for about half an hour or so, but I can already guess that Francis probably has some things to say that I'd rather not know about.

"Probably not," Antonio answers. "If I don't want to know, you probably won't want to know."

I sit down at the desk the teacher gestures to. It's two rows ahead of where Francis and Antonio are, and I'm next to that Matthew boy. I guess he isn't too bad, except-

"Aw, you're lucky, Mattie!" Alfred says from behind us. "You get to sit next to the new kid!"

"It's not polite to refer to people as 'the new kid'," Matthew sighs. "You call them by their given names."

"Who are you? Artie?" Alfred snorts. He begins to mock a British accent. "I'm Arthur and I'm proper! I don't like it when people are rude! Except I can make exceptions for Alfred because he's so handsome and wonderfu-"

As he sits down, Arthur hits Alfred on the head with his notebook. "Bloody hell, do you ever _not _talk?"

"Ow, that hurt, Artie!"

"Don't call me that."

"Meanie." With that, Alfred sticks his tongue out at Arthur, and looks in the opposite direction. After only a moment, he turns back and says, "Okay, I forgive you. Can I borrow a pencil now?"

I'm just sitting their awkwardly watching their conversation. Wow, this is probably going to be an extremely awkward day, isn't it?

* * *

First period turns out to be history class. There wasn't anything interesting there, besides the fact that Alfred talks through the whole entire thing. In fact, he talks through _every _class. I'm not even sure how he manages to pass! I noticed that when he was handed back a test in second period-which was English, by the way-and whispered 'Yes! A plus!'. Third period was Math, then there was French (that Francis had an advantage at), then lunch, then Science, and now it's time for gym class. I already worked out a plan for how I'm going to change. I discreetly slip into the bathroom and change in one of the stalls! Easy!

When I get into the gym, I find out that the coach is a former army soldier. Oh, God, no. That means-

"Today we're doing boot camp! After that, do ten laps around the track! Remember, we've got the rest of the day to do this, and we will use all of that time if we have to! Now run, troops, run!" he booms.

I hurriedly begin at a random station, Antonio and Francis soon joining me. This is going to be terrible! I only hope the bandages I used to bind my chest don't slip. That, and that my hat doesn't fall off. Thankfully, I had pinned it so it was attached to my hair. Three hundred jumping jacks, five hundred push ups, one hundred pull ups, four suicides, five minutes of a plank hold, and ten laps later, I am collapsing in the locker room, where I put my backpack.

"That...was...torture!" I pant, reaching in my pack for a water bottle.

"At least he let us off easy today. Usually we'd run until class ends, but today it was only ten laps," Antonio says.

"We have to do this _every day_?" I exclaim.

"No, no! Usually when we do boot camp, we run until class ends. It's probably because you're here. Usually, it's much more intense," he tells me.

I stand up and try to lift my backpack. My arms are literally shaking. Oh, gosh...if I can't carry my backpack, then everybody will _definitely _know I'm a girl. Instead, I suck it up and try to lift it again. I fail. This time, instead of lifting it first and then putting it on, I lean down so I can slip it on my shoulder. Then, I stand up with it on. Much better...

I follow Antonio back to the gym. He tells me that we're allowed to sit and rest until everybody else is done. He also says that Francis is usually either last or second to last because he tries to persuade the teacher that he can't do boot camp because 'he's too beautiful to be seen walking around all sweaty and disgusting'. I laugh at that.

Around thirty minutes later, I say goodbye to my new friends and immediately start walking back to the gas station. I hear Matthew and Alfred behind me. Oh, crap! If they follow me, they'll notice that I won't come out of the gas station as a boy. Please don't notice me, please don't notice me...

"Hey, Gilbert, dude!" Alfred calls, running up to me. "Dude, you live around here, too? That's so cool! I've seen this one girl in my neighborhood that just moved ahere around a week ago, and she looks sort of like you. She has the exact same hair color as you! My mom knows her mom, but I've never met her. She's not really my type anyway, so I decided to save her for someone! And that someone is you!"

Oh, so he knows Gilda? Wow, that means he'd know me if I walked out of the gas station as her.

"We should walk home together! That way, I can know where you live, and you can know where I live. But not 'cause I wanna stalk you or anything, but so we know where each other lives if we wanna hang out!"

"Um, no," I refuse. "I actually have to go buy dinner for my family, and I don't want to hold you guys up." That's somewhat true. I _do _have to buy food from the gas station (the only reason _I _buy it is because I'd never eat gas station food myself. I'll know what's from there if I buy it.).

"Oh...okay, maybe tomorrow then!" he offers.

"Uh, maybe."

"Awesome! Come on, Mattie! I'll race ya!" With that he takes off.

"See you tomorrow, Gilbert." Then, Matthew picks up his pace a little to catch up to Alfred.

How does Alfred still have energy after that torture? I change back into the uniform I wore this morning after spraying perfume on and un-binding my chest. Then, I buy some weird brand of chips my mom told me to pick up.

Opening the door, I announce that I'm home. I'm the first one home, since there is no response. I set the bag of chips on the table and walk upstairs with my thousand-ton backpack. I'm finally relieved of the weight, and I flop on my bed. Gym really tired me out. Maybe because I'm a girl, or maybe because it really was hard work. I hear West walk in and call up the stairs.

"Are you home, Gilda?"

I open the door and walk downstairs. He never asks whether I'm home or not unless I'm needed downstairs. It was like that back in the other town we lived in, and it's most likely the same here. "Yeah?"

He looks at me. "You look like you just endured your first boot camp at my school."

I avoid his eyes. "Well, we had to do some really tough things at Etiquette School."

"Don't try to lie. Feliciano told me about the new boy called 'Gilbert'. Besides, I saw you in the hall with Francis and Antonio."

"Please don't tell Mom! She'll literally kill me!" I almost beg my brother. I give him puppy eyes. "Please?"

He rolls his eyes. "Fine. But be careful around that Francis. I've heard nasty things about him."

I hug him, surprised that he gave in so quickly. "Thank you!" With newfound energy, I run back up the stairs to my room and start on my homework. Maybe this school won't be too bad.

* * *

Author's Note: And there you have it! Please tell me whether you like it, hate it, or if you have any suggestions. Please let me know if you find any mistakes! ^.^" I might not be too good at writing France or Germany, so if you have any tips, those are welcome, too. Thanks for reading, and review, please!


	2. STRANGER DANGER!

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.

Title: Switch-A-Roo

Rating: T

Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."

Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.)

* * *

"Are you going to eat breakfast with us this morning, Gilda?" Mom asks as I try to slip out the door.

"No, I'll eat something on the way. I promise!" I answer.

"Are you sure you're eating? You're looking rather thin lately." What's with her today? She didn't have a problem yesterday. Maybe she's been watching those stupid shows about teens starving themselves. Who would even do that? No offense to anyone, though.

I roll my eyes. "Yes, I've been eating."

"Prove it."

I sigh, sit at the table, and down a whole bowl of cereal in five minutes. Hooray for being able to eat super quickly and not be affected afterwards! "Happy?"

Mom nods approvingly, and I bolt out the door. I'm going to have to change quickly today if I want to get there early like yesterday. I like being somewhat early. You have somewhat of an advantage. Well, being early is much better than being late.

I skip out of the bathroom, the new guy (I'm here so often, I already know the staff!) giving me an odd look.

"Wasn't a girl just in there?" he asks, confused.

"Sh. It's a secret, new guy," I tell him.

He still looks at me strangely. I wave and start my walk to school. It's so fun disguising myself with new guys there. Before having to change for this school (this only my second day, for that matter), I masqueraded to get in to certain other things. Feliks and I usually had fun doing that sort of thing. Sort of strange, but it works for us.

"Hello, Gilbert," a soft voice greets.

"Huh? Oh! Hey, Matthew!" What is with this boy and his invisibility powers? "Where's Alfred?"

"Up ahead. I don't get how he can have so much energy with only two hours of sleep." He shakes his head. "I guess it's an Alfred thing."

I nod. "Yeah, probably. Two hours? I barely got six hours of sleep last night." Hooray for weird random facts! It's true, though. That homework is tough! It took me until midnight to complete. "What makes him stay up so late?"

"He's usually playing video games in his room. I question why Dad agreed to put an Xbox in there."

"I was guessing the homework."

"Nah, he never does it. When he does, it's in a rush during Mrs. Krumse's class."

"But don't you think it's hard?"

Matthew gives me a surprised look. "That's some of the easiest stuff we've done all year! Even Alfred gets it!" He blushes, realizing how rude he must have sounded. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

I shrug. "It's fine."

"But if you need help, you can just ask. I'm guessing your old school wasn't so advanced."

"Yeah, it wasn't." Truth is, I'm not very good at school in general. "Do you think you could help me?" I probably took a huge risk by asking that. Is it normal for guys to ask other guys for help.

"After school today, if you don't have anything going on, I can help you in the library," he offers.

I probably can, considering Mom wasn't home when I got home yesterday. She probably won't care anyway. But...this school has a library? I voice my question.

"Yeah, but you usually wouldn't notice unless somebody told you. It's in a club room. 308, I believe. If you see a sign that says 'Book Club', that's it. It's not really a book club, though," he informs me.

"Okay, I'll be there," I say as we reach the lockers. "I'm warning you, though, you might get frustrated with me within five minutes."

He laughs. "If I can deal with Alfred, I can deal with you."

We part ways, and I get my things out of my locker. The weird seven fifty rush happens again, and I soon find Francis and Antonio in the crowd. We find ourselves early to Mrs. Krumse's...thing. What is this called? I'll just call it...Attendance, I guess. There's nothing else really to call it. Oh, and by early, I mean earlier than last time. It still makes us the last ones there, but we technically aren't late, as Francis points out.

"What do you usually do for the rest of the time?" I ask. "We've still got a good twenty minutes."

"It depends on ze newest rumor or ze homework from ze day before," Francis answers. "See how everybody's still sitting? It means zat something was going on last night, and zey all went to go check it out instead of doing homework. It's a good thinf zat it was easy, or else zey'd be in trouble with ze teachers."

"Oh...I wonder what was going on," I say.

"You didn't hear? Zere was some big fight in ze middle of town. It lasted for hours."

"Did you see it?"

"_Oui._"

"Then why aren't you doing homework?"

"_Vous plaisantez_?" [Are you kidding me?] "I have people to do zat for me."

"Ok..." I wonder what the fight was all about. Surely it must have been something to be able to last for hours. And why didn't the cops shut it down? Weirdest thing ever! Maybe I should go if there's something big happening next time.

* * *

The day passed my quickly. Even the suicide-filled gym class! I'm not even kidding;it was doing suicides for the whole hour! Soon, I'm in the 'Book Club' with Matthew, sitting at a table and trying to work out difficult math equations.

"You see? You do that part first, then this...and you've got it. It's easy, right?" He doesn't even have to lower his voice. It's already so low.

I put my head on the table. "No...why do you have to do parentheses first? Is it because their so special because they're in _parentheses_?"

Matthew laughs a little. "No, it's because of the P.E.M.D.A.S rule."

"Excuse me?"

"P.E.M.D.A.S. It's an order of operations. Parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction," he explains.

"Expo-whats? What's are those, and are they in any way related to Expo markers?" Just then, my pencil rolls off the table. I bend over to pick it up just as Matthew does, and we end up bumping heads and brushing hands. I blush slightly. "Ah...sorry."

"'S okay. And no,exponents are _not _related to Expo markers." He points to a little two floating over a big three. "You see the two? That's an exponent."

"Ohh, the little floaty guys are exponents? Wow, I'm terrible at this."

"No, you're not. You've almost got it."

"Actually, I am terrible. I got a five on my Math homework. A five. _Out of one hundred_," I remind him.

"Do this problem on your own, and I'll check it for you," he tells me, ignoring my proclaimations of Math disabilities.

"Fine," I grumble. Out of the corner of my eye, I realize Matthew looks sort of cute when he's concentrating...No! Bad Gilda! No drooling over boys while you're supposed to be working! But it's so hard...Aww, he has a stray curl in his hair! That's so-

Snap out of it, Gilda! You aren't here to drool over boys! Stop looking and do your Math homework!

"I think I might have to get going soon," Matthew's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. "Here-I'll give you my number so you can call me if you need help."

I stand up, too. "Yeah, I think I'll go as well. I don't exactly want to be left alone here."

I follow him outside after pocketing his phone number. As we start walking down the sidewalk, I notice a gang of older boys following us.

"Hey, Matthew. Do you know them?" I ask, gesturing secretly to them. I hope he didn't realize that I slipped my phone number in his backpack while gesturing.

He shakes his head. "I think it'd be safer if he wait in there," he gestures to the gas station, "until they get fed up and leave."

Uh oh. What if the new guy's there again? Wouldn't he reconize me? I shake my head. "No, I think we should get home first. It'd be safer. They could follow us in there," I point out.

"Right. Do you want me to walk with you?"

I shake my head probably a little quicker than I should. "I'm fine. You go on ahead."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Uh huh, see ya!"

I slow down until he is a good few hundered yards again. I haven't passed the gas station yet, so I run in there. I'm not sure if the boys are still following. In fact, the new guy is there. I run into the bathroom to start my gender transformation again. When I exit, the boys are waiting just outside.

"Hey, girly," a redheaded, pimply one calls to me. "How 'bout you come entertain us for a while?"

"STRANGER DANGER!" I scream. It's the first thing that came to mind.

I reach into my still open backpack until my fingers close around my perfume bottle, and I spray it at the dudes. Not very effective but it's something. I start running toward my house until I bump into someone running towards where I was coming from. Matthew! What is he doing?

"Idiot," I hiss under my breath. Out loud, I play innocent scared girl. "Hey! Can you help me? Th-there's some boys chasing me, and..." Time to play the tear card. It's times like these when being able to cry on command comes in handy. "And th-they're chasing me and telling me t-to entertain them! Y-you have to help me!"

"Do you live far from here?" Matthew asks. I shake my head. "Are they close behind?"

"They weren't when I was running. I-I used my perfume to defend myself." The blush that creeps across my cheeks is very real. Even though he doesn't know it's me, it's still embarassing if you're telling someone you've only met as a guy that you defended yourself with perfume. "I think they're catch-"

I don't get to finish my sentence when the gang-and a few other boys-some running up. I recognize the different boys following them as Francis, Alfred, and a couple of other boys from school come running up.

"Ah, Matthieu!" Francis calls. "You and zat pretty girl better run. Zese are ze boys who were fighting yesterday!"

I realize that the boys have started a fist-fight amongst themselves on who would get to use me first. I pale at the thought of it. While Alfred and the other boys watch, Francis dodges around the boys and runs up to Matthew and I. He goes directly to me, and I think he trips me, 'catches' me, and just holds me like that while looking into my eyes.

"Are you okay, _mon amour_?" he whispers, using the same whisper he used when he first met me. "Did zey hurt you? I can kiss it better, if you'd like..."

I release myself from his grip. "Um, I'm fine. I think everybody here better get going. They might turn on you guys. Uh...I'll be leaving now." And I turn and run in the direction of my house.

I open the door only to be greeted by an angry-looking Mom.

"How was school?" Without waiting for an answer, she keeps talking. "Where did you go that took you so long? It's already five o'clock, and that school stops at three! Where have you been?"

I open my mouth to respond, but I never get the chance to.

"Have you been out with bad friends? Have you been _smoking_? That's it, breath check."

"Mom, why would I smoke?" What's her deal? "Do you not trust me?"

"Breath check. Now."

"No! I haven't been smoking! First you think I have an eating disorder, and now you think I'm smoking?"

"If you're not giving me a breath check, that means you _have _been smoking! Don't you know how damaging that is to your lungs? Hand the cigarettes over right-" I cut her off.

"I HAVEN'T BEEN SMOKING!" I cry. "What's wrong with you today? Do you think that I, your awesome daughter, would ever smoke? Why won't you trust me?" With that, I storm up to my room and slam the door for good measures.

I feel like crying for real. I've never screamed at my mom like that, but why doesn't she trust me? I haven't done anything really bad to her before. Maybe when Dad gets here he'll sort things out. You see, he went to visit a few friends when we were moving and told us he'd meet us there. He's usually more understanding than Mom.

My phone buzzes. It's a text from Matthew.

**Did you get home okay?**

****I quickly send him the reply of '_Yes. Did you?_'

Of course I know he probably did. I was there. Speaking of which, I'll have to be more careful next time. Now both Matthew and Francis have met Gilda, and Alfred and those other boys have seen her. What would happen if one of them was following me and saw me change? At first, it would probably be all awkward, then realization would dawn on them, and then I'd be kicked out of the school. After that, Mom would get all mad and send me to the etiquette school for real, or an all girls military school. Yeah, I'm definitley going to be more careful.

* * *

The rest of the week passed by rather quickly for my first week. After the Gilda Incident (as I have dubbed it), Francis had been boasting about how he 'saved' a girl from 'the evil clutches of a sinister cult'. Antonio and I didn't believe it (of course I didn't), but I think the few that aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer believed him.

I had been meeting Matthew in the library after school for the remaining days of the week, except I waited until a few minutes after he left to go. Mom had been inspecting my breath each time I got home, and then claiming I had chewed gum to make the smell go away (even though she's aware that I don't chew gum unless necessary). I'm really wondering when Dad's going to get back. I've asked West about it, but he doesn't know either. He told me that he asked Mom, but she had avoided the question.

**A couple of other boys are staying over at my house tonight. You want to come, too?**

****I look at the text I just received from Matthew, my fingers doing that weird little dance over the keyboard. You know, the one you get when you're not exactly sure how to reply? I go downstairs.

"Mom, can I go to a sleepover tonight?" I ask her.

"What's the girl's name?" She doesn't even pause her vegetable chopping to look at me.

"Um, Madeline," I lie.

"I haven't heard anything bad about her, so go. But if she offers you anything, text-"

"'Kay, thanks, Mom!" I rush upstairs.

I text Matthew my answer, and then I text Feliks to ask him if he has any wigs that match my hair color. It'd be safer to go this way than wear a hat during a sleepover. What do guys call that sort of thing anyway? Do they call it a slumber party, a sleepover, or just 'staying over'? Huh, I guess I've never really thought about that before.

After I put my manliest looking pajamas (that sounds funny) in a bag, I bid goodbye and get over to Feliks's house. He had replied that he did have a wig and to be there in five minutes. I use the shortcut to get to his house, and I climb up the rope ladder he usually has hanging from his window ("In case I, like, need to excape totally fast!") and knock on it.

Feliks opens the window. "Like, welcome to my humble abode!"

I laugh at the odd greeting. "Okay, so I'm staying over at this guy's house tonight-"

"Ooh, is he cute?" he interrupts.

"Um, a little," I admit. "Anyway, I'm staying over, and I can't wear a hat the whole time-'cause that would be weird-so I need a wig!"

"Better a wig than, like, a whole hair makeover," Feliks agrees. "Just, like, put the wig on, and I can, like, cut it for you."

I sit on the soft pink carpet in front of the random floor-to-ceiling mirror he has in his room. I could sit at the vanity in the corner, but I'm afraid that if I do, I'll try to take something from there. I'm already jealous that he has more (and better!) beauty products than I do, and he's a guy! Then again, he was always easily mistaken for a girl when we were younger...

"So, like, tell me about this boy," Feliks says as he kneels behind me and starts snipping the wig.

"Well, you wouldn't really notice him if you weren't looking for him specifically. He's one of those people who sort of blends in. He's been helping me with my math and stuff after school in the library." I pause, waiting to see if Feliks has any input. When he nods for me to continue, I do. "And he's really smart and, yeah, he's cute. He's really shy, though."

"Like, what's his name?"

"Matthew. He has a brother, too, but I think he's sort of annoying. Besides, it'd be wrong to try and go after him. It's obvious that another boy likes him." I recall this information when I remember seeing Arthur gazing at him dreamily during Science when Alfred almost blew up the place.

"How have you, like, been disguising so far? Like, has anyone come close to, like, finding out yet?" Feliks asks as he continues cutting.

"Well, I ran into a few of the boys the other day as Gilda, but I don't think they realized. It's not like they would have. I had changed into the uniform. You're lucky you dress like a girl anyway. You don't have to change three times a day."

Feliks starts to comb the newly shortened wig. "What time to you have to be there by again?" he asks. I wonder if he was listening to what I just said.

"Um, Matthew said nobody would come for at least a couple of hours."

"Oh. Is Matthew gay?"

"I don't know. Why? Do you want him?"

He laughs. "No, no! I'm, like, asking for you. You'll, like, never get him to, like, fall in love with you as Gilbert if he's, like, not gay. You see, first he'll, like, fall in love with you for, like, your wonderful personality, and then, like, he'll accept that he's, like, gay. After that, he'll, like, confess his love for you. Then you'll, like, reveal that you're, like, a girl at the end of the year. It'll so totally be like one of those, like, cheesy romantic movies!"

I nod slowly. "You've actually got a point there."

"Like, I'm a double package! I, like, have beauty and, like, brains!"

We both crack up at that comment, and we continue talking for about an hour or so.

"_Feliks, chodź tu! Musimy mówić do Ciebie!_" [Feliks, come here! We need to speak to you!] his mom calls.

"_Jadąc, mamo!_" [Coming, Mama!] Feliks calls back. We both stand up. "Well, you, like, better go. Like, good luck with, like, Matthew." He gives me brotherly kiss on the cheek. I hug him in return.

"See ya! I might come back tomorrow. I'm not exactly sure how to get this wig off," I tell Feliks.

He just laughs. "Like, 'bye!" He closes the window as I slide down the ladder.

Now, it's time to head to Matthew's house. Oh, I hope I don't screw this up!

* * *

Author's Note: And there you have it! Chapter two! I used Google Translate for the translations because I don't speak Polish or French. The most French I know is 'Bonjour! Je m'apelle crossaint! Au revoir!', and I don't know any Polish. At. All. By the time you're reading this, I'm probably at the mall getting my shop on. xD

Ren-Kyo: If you favorite or put this on alert, it would be nice if you would review, too. XiXi-dono wants me to say that.

Me: Hooray for Renny-chan knowing what I was gonna say! Anyway, review, please!

-XiXi Scarlett (accompanied by my Renny-chan)


	3. Boys have Sleepovers? Oh, no!

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.

Title: Switch-A-Roo

Rating: T

Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."

Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.) !LOOK!: I attempted at fluff here. Tell me if it's any good or not...?

* * *

I stand in at the door of Matthew and Alfred's house. My heart pounds as I wait for someone to open the door. What do boys even do at sleepovers? Paint each other's nails and give makeovers? Probably not! It's not much fun unless somebody's getting a terrible makeover. Oh, why did I even agree to go?

Alfred opens the door. "Hey, dude! We were waiting for you to show! This is awesome! Now we can actually do stuff!"

"Am I late?" I ask.

"Nah, we're still waiting for Arthur to get here. He always takes _forever_!" he exclaims.

Matthew comes up behind him. "He _does _live a little farther away, so you can't blame him for that." Noticing me, he says, "Oh, hello, Gilbert."

I hold two fingers up in the universal signal for peace. At least, I _think _it's universal. "'Sup."

When I walk into the living room, I recognize the people there. Francis is sprawled out on the floor (why he's even here is unknown to me, since I never see Francis talking to either of them), Kiku's sitting politely on the couch, Feliciano is chatting excitedly to Francis (who isn't paying attention) about how West-why does Feliciano call him 'Doitsu'? That's weird-was teaching him how to play some sport or another.

"Hey," I say, setting my bag on the ground and plopping on the couch next to Kiku.

The doorbell rings, and Alfred scampers (like a little squirrel, might I add) to go get the door. After Arthur walks in, Feliciano asks a question probably everybody has on their mind.

"Ve~! What are we going to do now?"

"I actually don't know," Alfred answers.

"So you invited us all here to do nothing?" Arthur asks. "What a waste of time."

"Nuh uh!" Alfred protests.

"We could watch a movie instead of doing nothing," Arthur suggests.

"As long as it's not a horror one," Alfred says and shudders. At the same time, Matthew says, "Let's have a horror movie marathon."

Matthew? The horror type? Wow, I would've never guessed. I decide to side with him on this because, hey, sleepovers aren't fun until somebody pees their pants. Or maybe that's just what I think...

"Majority rules." I smirk as Kiku and Francis join me on Matthew's side.

About fifteen minutes later, everybody's either on the couch or on the floor. The lights are turned off, the curtains are closed (the sun is already setting, anyway), and a big bowl of popcorn is on the coffee table. While Francis went to 'prepare popcorn the French way', we all played rock-paper-scissors to see who had to sit next to him. Unfortunately, I lost. I guess the good thing is that Matthew's on the other side of me.

The creepy intro music starts to play, and Alfred is already covering his eyes. I think I even heard him mutter 'is it over?'. He's such a scaredy-cat. I'm more manlier than him, and I'm a girl. Besides, the awesome me isn't scared of-

"Oh. My. Gosh. What _is _that?" I squeak. I choose to 'pull an Alfred' (as I have dubbed this move), and I take the nearest pillow, hugging it close to me and hiding behind it when the scary parts are coming.

Then, it goes quiet. We're all completely silent, and I think everybody's holding their breath. Suddenly, with a loud _BOOM_, a scary, bloody face appears on the screen. I'm pretty sure everybody yells at least a little bit. The creepy thing is, all the power goes out after that. We can tell because the DVR isn't lighting up, and a storm musts have started while we were watching the movie.

"This is freaky!" Alfred shouts.

I nod, but it's so dark I'm sure nobody can see me.

"Ya think the monster's going to get us?"

"Don't be stupid, Alfred. Ze monster isn't real."

"Ve~! I wish Doitsu was here to protect me."

_BOOM! _We all scream as a flashlight lights up an eerie face in front of the TV. In fright, I burrow my face behind Matthew, and Francis almost grabs on to me (ew!).

"YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN YOUR FACES!" I swear, I might just murder Arthur someday. He's cracking up. "That was hilarious!"

"Are you kidding me? THAT WAS HORRIFYING! DUDE, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" Alfred cries. We're all starting to laugh now, though.

I peek out from behind Matthew. "Alfred, did you pee your pants?" I ask accusingly.

That question makes everybody laugh. Probably because I was serious when I asked. Arthur sets the flashlight face up in the middle of the room and turns it on so there is a circle of light on the ceiling.

So...tempting...I give in and start to make a shadow puppet. I love shadow puppets! They're so entertaining.

"Enter, MEGA BUNNY!" Alfred holds his two fingers close up to the light so it looks giant.

"Oh, no!" I exclaim in a high-pitched voice. "Mega Bunny is murdering me! Oh, no! Oh, nooooo!" I make my shadow fall slowly until it disappears.

"Because making shadow puppets kill each other is _so _mature," Arthur says sarcastically.

"Like you haven't done it," I scoff in reply. Lightening my tone, I add, "It's fun, so it doesn't matter whether it's mature or not."

"I wonder when the lights will turn back on," Kiku says randomly.

"The dark is scary!" Feliciano says.

"It's not that scary." I almost forgot Matthew was even here!

For a moment, lightning illuminates the room, quickly followed by thunder. The rain is coming down hard, but I don't mind.

"I like the sound of rain," I comment. "Anyway, what should we do now that the power's gone?"

"Um...we could...go swimming," Alfred suggests.

"Swimming? Are you kidding me?" Francis decides to speak up. "It's raining!"

I imagine he shrugs. "So?"

Minutes later, I find myself (and all the others, except for Feliciano, who decided to go to sleep) in the backyard getting soaking wet. Now I'm really wondering why I agreed. I watch as Alfred jumps into the pool, despite the rain. What the hell is he thinking?

"It's not very cold, guys! Come on in! I DARE YOU!" He laughs insanely and dives under.

Nobody really moves. After Alfred doesn't come up for a while, we all start to get sort of worried and look over the edge of the pool. All of a sudden, I am pushed into the pool. Please don't let the wig slip off, please don't let the wig slip off, please please PLEASE don't let the wig slip off!

_Bless that feminine boy! _He must have assumed something like this would happen because the wig stayed on! HOORAY! I find that everybody else was also pushed into the pool by Alfred. My teeth start to chatter. It's really cold! And not to mention dark.

"This is a really bad idea," I say.

"ALFRED! I'M GOING TO BLOODY KILL YOU!" Arthur shouts.

"It's payback for scaring us," Alfred replies.

Kiku has already gotten out of the pool and is now sitting on the edge. "I wasn't expecting _that_." Man, this guy is kind of boring.

"My hair! You got it wet!" Francis cries. ...We're all in risk of getting hypothermia and he cares about his _hair_?

"Sometimes I question whether I am really related to him or not," Matthew tells me.

I hoist myself out of the pool and almost reach behind me to wring out my hair. Almost forgot that my hair isn't long and girly right now...Soon we're all out of the pool (we only got Alfred to get out because we threatened to leave him there all night) and back inside. We use warm towels from the laundry room to dry off. So warm...I choose to go change into dry clothes, and everybody else follows my example.

Eventually, we're back in the dark living room. By now, its way past midnight. Around three o'clock. How could time pass so quickly?

"Hey...Feliciano was the first one to fall asleep. Somebody, hand me a Sharpie!" I exclaim.

I kneel beside the sleeping boy and carefully draw a moustache on his face. It's one of the simplest things I could draw, but hey, it's still fun.

"Draw glasses!"

"No, a monacle would look better!"

"How come zat moustache isn't French-looking?"

Three minutes later, Feliciano's face is graffitied with 'mona-glasses' and moustaches. How it is suddenly possible to grow a moustache on your cheek, I have no idea.

"I'm bored..." Alfred groans a little while after we're finished.

I'm only just barely hearing him, though. I'm pretty sure everybody else is already asleep, but that's my last coherent thought before I give in to sleepiness.

* * *

_Mmm...it's cold. Where's the blanket? Oh, I found warmth. So warm...must cuddle into it..._

_..._

_..._

_Hey, wasn't I just awake? Why is my warmth moving! Stop moving! Aha! I got you! Must hug warmth..._

I open my eyes to see violet-ish eyes staring back. Matthew's blushing, and I'm pretty sure I am, too.

"Oh, sorry," I mumble and start to move. "I was just cold..."

"I'm cold, too."

"We could pretend this whole conversation didn't happen and go back to being warm." I hope that didn't sound as creepy as I think it does.

"Yeah, that'd be better," Matthew agrees.

I shift back to my original position, which was having both arms around Matthew. We are both sort of hugging each other, but it's warm so I'm fine with it. I bury my face into his chest when I realize my nose is extremely cold. It's so weird when that happens. It's still pretty dark out so the others probably won't wake up for a while. I'm so tired...

...

...

"_Sore wa kawaidesu_!" [That's cute!]

"Ve~! I wish Doitsu could do that with me~!"

"All of ze ladies usually end up waking up like that with me. Ohonhonhon..."

_Meh...Flashes are so annoying...I'm trying to sleep here!_

...

...

I wake up again when I realize my warmth-I mean, Matthew-is gone. I sit up to find that the storm is still raging on. None of the other boys are awak, so I assume it is safe to go change. I lock the door behind me and start to change. Ouch...I don't think sleeping with my chest bound was a very good idea...When I'm done changing, I go into the kitchen. Everybody is sitting at the table like they were waiting for me or something.

"What?" I ask. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Alfred answers a little too quickly.

I shrug and ask if I can get myself cereal. Japan tells me that they were waiting for me to get up to eat, and that Matthew and Alfred's mother is making cinnamon rolls. Mmm, cinnamon rolls are _delicious_! Maybe that's why the kitchen smells so...so heavenly.

Soon after the cinnamon rolls are devoured (and I was only allowed to have one! No fair!), Mother (I call all of my friend's parents stuff like that. For example, Feliks's mom and dad are 'Mama' and 'Papa'.) tells us that we should all go home, much to our dismay. It's fun here. Something is always going on.

After we all gather our stuff, Mother announces, "Alright, everybody, get into the car! There's enough room for all of you!"

I think I paled a little bit when I heard that. The top two things I'm afraid of are bridges and driving when it's raining. After a nightmare I had when I was younger, I always thhink the car's gonna swerve and fall, or a different car will end up hitting us.

"No, thanks," I refuse politely. "I can walk. I don't live too far."

"Nonsense, sweetie! It's storming! You can't possibly walk in all this rain!"

"No, really, it's fine! I can-"

"Sweetie, if you walk in this rain you'll catch a cold! Let me drive you!" Why does this lady have to guilt-trip me into this?

I reluctantly get into the large car, sitting next to Matthew. I hope it isn't all awkward after what happende earlier. When the car starts moving, I grip the armresst rather tightly.

"Are you alright?" Matthew asks.

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "I'm scared of driving in the rain."

"Okay, I'll distract you, then. Um...did you know that crocodiles don't tear you to pieces on land? Instead, they drag you into the water to drown you. Then, they put you at the bottom of the lake and occasionally take bits and pieces out of you." He obviously doesn't know what else to say.

"This isn't working very well," I say and start to look out the window. I try to focus on the houses instead of the liquid coming down from the sky that could kill us all. I wait until I see a familiar house and tell Mother, "Okay, this is my house!"

After I'm sure they're out of sight, I start walking towards Feliks's house for two reasons. Reason one: I don't know how to get this wig off. Reason two: If I showed up at my house looking like this, my mom would freak. I climb up the ladder and knock on the window. Barely two seconds later I'm being pulled into his bedroom.

"Like, why would you, like, climb that ladder in, like, the rain? That's, like, so totally dangerous!" he exclaims.

"I need help with the wig," I say. "And a towel would be nice."

It only takes a half hour for me to change back into a girl and tell Feliks all about the sleepover. I leave out the part about Matthew and I, deciding to save it for later. I don't want to stay here any longer than necessary, though. A strange feeling is telling me to get home. After I slide down the ladder, I sprint home and use my spare key to open the door.

"I'm home!" I call, taking off my shoes. I walk into the living room to see Mom crying on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"It's your father," she sobs. "He's...he's dead."

...Wait, what? Did she just say the my dad is dead? Okay, this has to be a joke! No, it can't be. This is way too serious; I can see it in her eyes. This is crazy! This is...this is...I'm crying. I didn't even realize it. I can't even speak anymore. I'm too busy breathing rapidly. In fact, I can barely see anything anymore. Whoa!

Falling, falling, falling...this is actually kind of fun. I'm still falling and falling and falling...Whenever I fell when i was a kid, my dad would catch me.

Right. Dad. Dead. Crying. Can't see. Falling. What's going on? Am I even still concious? I hear a voice...what is she saying? Something about a...hambulance? Does that have bacon?

Losing track again...No, not hambulance. Ambulance? What's going on? Oh, I see something. It's very white. Oops, there it goes again. At least now it's not dark. There's purple swirls...so pretty...

I'm getting scared now. Where is everybody? Why am I here again? Oh, there's the white again! It's getting bigger and brighter. I can almost touch it...

I'm now on my bed. How did I get here? There's a person standing near me...it's a doctor. Doctor Russo, judging by the nametag.

"What happened?" I ask.

"You fainted," she answers simply. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm a little thirsty." I sit up, the covers sliding off of me. "But I'm okay now. Uh...can I be alone?"

Dr. Russo stands up. "Yep! I'll just talk to your mom for a few minutes. I'll be seeing you, Gilda!"

I wave as she closes the door. Crazy lady...

But did I really faint? From learning that my dad is...not with us at the moment? I start to breathe quickly again. Nope, this is _not _happening a second time! He's not dead! He's only on a business trip. Yeah, a really long business trip. I bring my knees up to my chest and bury my head in them. I wish Matthew was here...

* * *

Author's Note: Yep, there was my attempt at fluff. Was it good? I want to know if that fluff was fluffy enough. Yeah, Gilda's father is now dead. She had a little panic attack/fainting thing there. I'm not sure if that's what fainting feels like (as I have never fainted before), but that is what Gilda feels when she faints. 

Ren-Kyo: Please review! Thank you for all of the alerts, favorites, and reviews! XiXi-dono loves you for that.

Me: But totally not in a creepy way! See you next chapter~!

-XiXi Scarlett (accompanied by her Renny-chan)


	4. I'm not in Love with Him! Right?

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.

Title: Switch-A-Roo

Rating: T

Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."

Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.) 

I dedicate this fanfiction, along with all my others, to God. May all glory be to Him.

* * *

I can barely remember what's been happening this past week. First it was Sunday and now it's Friday. How did that happen? I don't even think I remember what we've been learning in school. Something about tea parties in history. Did people throw tea parties in history a lot? I haven't even been paying attention to what Matthew has been telling me. Does he even know whether I'm listening or not? Gym has been rather hard, even though Antonio claims we've been doing easy things. I open the door to the library. Maybe I can tell Matthew that I get it already and leave within half an hour...

I sit down in the chair, but not after stumbling a little. I'm only a little bit dizzy, but maybe that's because of the extra suicides I was forced to run.

"Are you okay?" Matthew asks. "You almost tripped."

I shake my head, but soon stop as the room threatens to spin. "I-I'm fine." I'm kind of hungry. When did I last eat...? A hand grabs my arm. Was I falling?

"Are you sure you're okay? When did you last eat?"

"That's what I'm trying to remember. Last thing I remember eating was...cinnamon rolls, I think." I try to think harder. Where did I eat those cinnamon rolls? Um...oh, right. "The ones your mom made."

"Why haven't you been eating?" Is it me or does he sound kind of worried? "Tell me, please."

I shake my head in response, but almost fall again.

"Please, look at me and tell me what's going on, Gilbert." Softer, he adds, "I worry about you." He coughs. "B-But I worry about all of my friends!"

I don't want to meet his eyes, but I force myself to. "My dad...isn't with us..." I manage to choke out. I don't want to cry! I've been crying for the past week already, and I'd hate to cry in school! Do boys even cry around other boys?

"I'm so sorry."

"No, you're not. Everybody says that, but in reality they're not sorry! They just want you to think that!" I snap. I shouldn't have tried to stand up that quickly. The room's spinning again. Just as I'm about to fall, Matthew catches me again.

"Come on." His voice is still soft, but he sounds strict. Like a parent telling off their two-year-old. "We're going to the cafeteria, and you're going to eat something, okay?"

I can't even shake my head anymore, so I'm forced to agree. I can't tell if I'm leaning on Matthew, or if I'm walking on my own. The edges of my vision is black, and I'm still dizzy. All I have to focus on is walking and breathing. Step, breathe, step, breathe, step, breathe, stumble, fall. Ouch! Matthew helps me up again.

I sit and wait for Matthew to come back. I'm clutching the end of the table in the cafeteria to prevent myself from falling backwards.

"Eat that." A banana is set in front of me.

"I don't wanna eat," I mumble. "I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something. Please eat it. For me?" Matthew pleads.

I peel the banana and take a bite. "Okay, full now."

"Eat all of it."

"I don't want to."

"For me?"

"Stop saying that! It makes me feel guilty." I keep taking bites of the banana until it's all gone. "Happy?"

"Do you feel better?" he asks.

I almost shake my head, but now I realize any slight movement makes me dizzy. I put my freezing hand to my head. It's warm, but the rest of me is just so cold. I feel sick.

"I wanna go home," I say.

"I'm walking you. Don't try to argue, Gilbert. You can't even walk without help. You need to go to a doctor." He looks at me. Pretty purple... "That's final."

Where are his eyes going? They're all swirly...oh, no. Purple swirls. Not good, not good! I'm falling again. Someone's calling my name. I feel like I'm dying. I can't die! I'm too awesome to die! I look down at myself, but I can't see anything. This feels terrible. I've always wanted to fly, but this doesn't feel like I thought it would. It feels scary and frightening. I'm holding something. What is it? I hug it tightly.

Bright light...white...I think I'm coming back. Ow, ow, ow! There's something sharp in my arm. I can see now...I'm in a hospital room. Was it that bad? Nobody is in here with me. My backpack is on the chair next to the bed. A nurse walks in.

"Oh, wonderful. You're awake," she says in a warm voice. "You have a very good boyfriend. He said he carried you here."

"He's not my boyfriend," I say flatly.

She ignores my statement and checks the IV (aka, the 'Sharp Pointy Thing of Doom that's Stuck in my Arm'). "You haven't been eating properly. Can you tell me why?"

"My father died." I can't lie to nurses. They'll ask my parents if I don't tell them, so there really is no way to lie.

"I'm sorry about that. May I have your mother's phone number? I need to contact her to tell her you're here. She might get worried."

I recite the number to the nurse, and she scribbles it on her clipboard. She asks me if I need anything, then tells me to just press the little button on the side if I need somebody. Then, I'm all alone again. I hope Matthew didn't find out about me. If he did, would he keep it a secret? Who would find out after him?

Ugh, I'm getting bored! Who knew hospitals could be so boring? There's nothing to do. I pick up my cell phone from the little side table. Maybe I could text somebody...Oh! Feliks! I almost forgot about him! I should tell him what's happening. Only about thirty seconds later, I receive a reply.

**OMG! Like, I'll be right there! **

I check the time. It's around six o'clock, so I must have been out for around two or three hours. I wonder...does fainting count as sleeping? I mean, you're unconcious so it would count, right? Maybe I'll ask the nurse next time she comes in.

The door opens, and my super awesome best friend flounces in.

"Like, I'm here! Hold the, like, applause!" Feliks announces. He tosses something onto my lap. "Like, enjoy!"

I look at the object. It's a Kit-Kat! AKA, the awesome-est candy in the world! As I have so awesomely put it, they are 'chocolate-covered heaven wafers'. It's the truth!

"I'm just wondering...how come you can get here faster than my mom and brother can?" I ask.

"I was already, like, around here. I was, like, at the mall. That's why I, like, got you a Kit-Kat! They were, like, giving them out."

"You mean this isn't the little run-down hospital by the shoe factory?" I ask to clarify.

He shakes his head. "Nope!"

Just then, my mom walks in. She looks angry but concerned.

"Why didn't you tell me you were so upset, honey?" she asks gently. "I could've helped you."

"You were too busy trying to find a new job. I didn't want to add to your stress." I hope that didn't sound as mean as it sounds.

"Just don't starve yourself. That's not good."

"I know."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I wasn't trying to! You tell me to only eat when I'm hungry, and I wasn't hungry." I nibble on my Kit-Kat.

"Just tell me if you're ever feeling like that again, okay? Mom brushes a few strands of hair from my face and kisses my forehead. "I'll be back later, okay?"

I nod, and she leaves the room.

"I think she's angry at me," I sigh. "She only treats me extremely nicely when she's angry at me."

"Like, she's not angry, silly! She's just, like, disappointed," Feliks tells me. "But, like, I agree with her. Like, please don't not, like, eat."

"I already said I'm not trying to."

"I know. I would have, like, totally done the same, like, thing." He pats my arm. "It's, like, totally not your fault!"

"I'm too awesome for this to be my fault," I laugh.

An old, cranky nurse walks in.

"If you're not family, get out," she says monotonously.

Feliks almost gets up to leave before I grab his arm. "He's my brother."

The nurse raises an eyebrow at me.

"This is my brother," I repeat. "As in, we are related."

"Like, Mom totally couldn't stay so, like, I volunteered to, like, stay with her." Thank God Feliks gets the message and his playing along.

"Ok...I'm sure Brenda explained the button to you?" At my confused look, she adds, "You know, the other nurse?"

"Oh, yeah. Right. She did."

The nurse rolls her eyes and leaves.

"Like, what a crabby old lady," Feliks mutters.

We continue talking for a bit. Feliks tells me that he'll go get me things from home, and I list off the things I want. He laughs and tells me that it seems like I'm packing for a three-week-long vacation. I see through the little crack in the blinds that it's already dark out by the time I get tired.

"G'night..._brother_," I yawn.

He rolls his eyes. "Like, 'night, sister!"

* * *

I breathe in outside air on Sunday morning.

"Finally!" I exclaim. "I thought I'd never be released from that prison!"

"You were only in there for a day and a half," West says. At the sight of me skipping around in the patch of grass next to where the car is parked, he adds, "Weirdo."

I hug the skinny tree in the middle of the patch. "Hello, tree! I know you must have missed the awesome me!"

My mom shakes her head. "It must be the medicine. Come on, Gilda! Get in the car."

"I'll visit again someday!" I promise the tree, hopping into the backseat of the car. "She was so nice." I'm referring to the tree (which I have named Leafy) in that statement.

"Are you sure this is Gilda?" West asks.

"Hey! I'm sure that Mom knows who her daughter is! Right, Mom?"

"Well," Mom 'hesitates'.

I break out in hysterical laughter. I'm just so _glad _to be out of there! I should try to never land myself in a hospital again. Speaking of which, those people gave me an 'eating schedule'. Apparently, I'm supposed to eat when that thing says so. I guess it's somewhat of a good idea, but after being in that hellhole once, I don't think I want to do it again.

Eventually we pull up in the driveway. I sling my backpack on my shoulder, wondering why I didn't ask Feliks to get it home for me. At least I was able to shove all of the junk I asked him to bring in there so it's easier to carry. I fling the backpack on the bed and change out of the clothes I was wearing, finding out that someone had taken off the binding for my chest. Ew, I hope it was a girl who did it.

It's a bright and sunny morning, so I decide to open the window. Light floods the room immediately, and I realize how dark it was in here. Well, one corner is painted black only because that's where I do some of my awesome plotting. It's the corner where I thought up about this awesome switching idea.

Oh, darn. Now I have to do homework...stupid not eating for making me make Matthew worry. Now I've got absolutely no clue what this stuff is about.

...

It can wait until later, right? What should I do today...? Maybe I could go play outside like a little kid. I remember when Feliks and I used to go to the park all the time. It was so much fun! We'd tell people that we were siblings and then proceed to freak them out. Well, I freaked people out. Feliks just laughed.

Hey...I have a tire swing? No way! I would have noticed! I run out to the front yard, cackling strangely. How come I've never noticed this thing before? I start to swing. This is fun!

"Kesesesese~!" I squeal as it goes higher and higher. "Kesese~!"

"Gilda, come inside. It's time for you to eat," Mom calls to me.

I reluctantly stop myself by scuffing my shoes against the ground. I swear, I'm a pro at this. Back in elementary school, I always took turns with Feliks on the swings. I sit at the table with a stupid grin on my face.

Placed in front of me is a plate full of colorful fruits. Oh, look! A banana! I love bananas! They're yellow and make smiley faces! Mom used to tell me that if someone gave you a banana, it means they care deeply about you. Hey, didn't someone get me a banana?

* * *

I'm so happy to be at school today! I'm even happy to be stuck in this room with Mrs. Krumse! Wait...I feel like I'm forgetting something...Homework! Right. I take out my Math book and begin the remaining fifteen problems. Let's see...value of n is 47. Area of a circle is 24 centimeters circled. Easy! Well, I guessed most, but you know!

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Matthew tells me.

I look at him and beam. "Huh? Oh, thanks! I guess the hospital wasn't too bad because I got candy from old people! Old people are so awesome! They always smell nice and give you candy that they always have. Have you ever wondered where they buy those candies? I've always wondered that. What about the way they smell? How do they get themselves to smell like that? With old people powers or something? And why-" I cut myself off. "I'm blabbing, aren't I?"

He chuckles. "You're very talkative this morning."

"I blame it on the cereal Mom made me eat," I tell him. "It was all sugary and stuff. Oh! I discovered I have a swing in my front yard! It's fun 'cause I was all like 'Kesesesese~!', and it was all like _WHOOSH! _I made a friend at the hospital! Her name's Leafy, and she's a tree. I told her I'd visit, but I'm hoping it won't be for a long time. She needs to grow so I can climb her. Also, I don't want to be stuck in the hospital _again_!"

The bell rings, and Matthew smiles warmly and apologetically as his brother drags him away. My cheeks heat up and I swear I just died.

"So you love him?" Francis asks. "It's obvious zat you love Matthew, non?"

"Wh-what?" I sputter.

"It's pretty hard to miss, _mi amigo_," Antonio agrees with Francis.

"I-I'm not in love with him!" I try to defend myself.

"I know, _mon ami_. We didn't zink you did at first, but now we do."

"Then why were you bugging me?"

"Ohonhonhon~!" Francis laughs his annoying laugh. "We just wanted you to get across the bridge without you having to run. Good luck, lover boy!"

As they take their seats in history, it leaves me to think...Am I in love with Matthew? No...no, I can't be. Even if I was, I don't think he'd like me back. And he'd find out that I'm a girl! I'm not in love with Matthew. He is not adorable. I don't melt when he smiles at me. I don't fight the urge to squee when I find out he cares about the awesome me. And I am positively not in love with him at all.

Am I?

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry, it's later than the last chapters were. -.-" Fanfiction wasn't letting me log in, so I had to un-download Safari (I don't use a Mac. I have a Windows), and re-download Internet Explorer as my browser. Then, I had to rewrite that last part because Fanfictionw as being stupid. All in all, I think it was pretty good. I decided that Gilda needs to be happy for a bit. Who knows how long it'll last?

-XiXi Scarlett


	5. I Think I Love Bus Rides Now

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.

Title: Switch-A-Roo

Rating: T

Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."

Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.) !LOOK! Teehee, it's a surprise~! There's something, but you'll have to read and find out~! I'll tell you at the end if you don't figure it out. xD Oh, and France. There is a warning here for France just being France.

I dedicate this fanfiction, along with all my others, to God. May all glory be to Him.

* * *

"Today, we're doing something different!" the sub calls out. She's quite short and has frizzy brown hair. Coach Parker is also way less mean than our regular coach (his name is Coach J, if I didn't mention before). "We're going to play survival flag tag! It's every man for himself, unless you make alliances. There's only one winner, so remember that you'll have to eventually turn on each other!"

Shouts of delight come from each of the boys, including me! It reminds me of a book I once read. After we're handed our flags, the creepy Russian boy walks up to me. Ivan, I think his name was.

"Become one with me, da?"

"Um...no, thanks?" Is this guy serious?

His smile just gets creepier. "It's okay. Everyone eventually becomes one with me." Ivan then walks away.

I flinch as the whistle blows, signaling the start of the game. Of course Francis is the first one out when he's trying to flirt with boys to alliance with him. Antonio is currently chasing after Lovino. This means I'm all alone here. Time for my awesome plan! Plan: Stay-In-The-Corner-And-Dart-Out-To-Pull-The-Flags-Of-Unsuspecting-Victims! Or, Plan S.I.T.C.A.D.O.T.P.T.F.O.U.V! It seems to work well! I've already pulled the flags of about three people.

"Alliance?" Matthew asks, jogging up to me.

I nod. "Who else?"

"Alfred and Arthur."

"I'll stay here. When there's not so many people left, you guys come here and we'll kick butt." I grin.

He nods and sprints back to the two other boys before he can get caught. I have a feeling that Alfred is going to be one of the last people still in. He's a fast runner so it wouldn't be a surprise. I pull a few more flags while people aren't looking. I think some of the boys have realized my strategy when people stop coming near my corner.

Soon, Alfred, Arthur, Matthew, Kiku, Ivan, and I are left. I share a quick glance with each of the members of my alliance and I think we all know the same thing. ATTACK! I zip in and pull Ivan's flag from behind. He just smiles in that same creepy way and walks to the 'out' section.

Then, it's just my alliance (minus Alfred, who got out after trying to 'protect' Arthur from Kiku) and I.

"So who's gonna win?" I ask.

Matthew shrugs. "Arthur?"

"I think that-" Arthur's cut off when I rip off his flag.

"Kesesesese~!" I laugh as I pull Matthew's, too. "Hooray for distractions! They're almost as awesome as me! I win~!"

"No fair! I thought we were going to play rock-paper-scissors or something!" Matthew protests.

"All's fair in love in war!" I counter, smirking. I refrain from skipping back to the gym (since we were playing outdoors).

Before we're released to go home, the sub stops everybody. She says that the school is having an overnight field trip. I've never been on one of those before! She informs us that it's three days long, and it's to the beach and aquarium that's quite far away. This school has such short notices for field trips! The bus leaves tomorrow morning! Coach Parker then hands us the permission slips and dismisses us.

After being paraded around the locker room by Antonio and Francis ("Our best friend won survival flag tag~! Our best friend won survival flag tag~!") and receiving a few congratulations, I start heading up to the library with Matthew. I'm actually ready for this tutoring session today! Usually I dread having to learn even more math after school, but today I'm not so bothered by it.

"What don't you understand?" That's the normal first question. It's a routine by now.

I tell him what's confusing, he explains, then I attempt to do the homework. After my failed attempt, Matthew will do a couple problems step-by-step with me, I'll do one alone, he'll check it, and then I'm off home. When Matthew's out of sight, I slip into the gas station for my usual changing. After that, I start skipping back home.

Mom's home when I get there. Smiling sweetly, I set the permission slip on the counter, discreetly covering up the part about the school's name.

"Sign this?" I ask her. "It's so I can go on a three-day field trip. It's totally safe, and all of my friends are gonna be there. Feliks said his aunt is going so she'll look out for me!"

"Alright, sure." She signs the paper without looking at it, but her voice sounds a little wary. It's a good thing I said Feliks's aunt and not his mom. Mom hates talking to his aunt, but she trusts her fully.

I thank her and rush upstairs. How much does this field trip cost? I'm positive I can pay it by myself. ...Free? This school has _free _field trips? NO WAY! That's so awesome! Just like me~! I start to throw some of my stuff into my least girly-looking suitcase. It's a good thing Feliks told me how to put on the wig. I'm almost positive that I'll need to wear it intead of pinning up my hair.

Hmm...Now what clothes will be good to wear? Ah, the everyday struggle of a girl. Even if your pretending to be a boy, you still have the trouble of finding what to wear! I pick out a few shirts and two pairs of jeans. That's good, right? Uh oh. What if part of the field trip involves swimming? What will I do then? I know! Shorts and a t-shirt. It's not weird for some boys to go swimming while wearing a shirt, right? Right?

I scribble down some things in my Math homework after I finish packing. I have that weird butterfly-y feeling in myself that you get before you go on a vacation. But not just any vacation! A vacation where something awesome happens!

* * *

I think the bus ride was being pretty awesome-ly when I realized the seat that I thought was empty next to me was occupied by Matthew. So on my right side is Matthew (I'm actually harboring a little crush on him...okay, maybe not extremely little. A little bigger than little) and on my left side, across the aisle, is Antonio and Francis. Of course Antonio is bugging Lovino, who is in front of him, while he's talking to us. I'm serious, he can annoy and talk at the same time. Francis was talking about some Francis-Flirt-Victim (as I have dubbed them) or another.

That's when it started going downhill. It started to rain while we were driving. Raining and driving...not good! Currently, I'm realizing the situation I'm in. I feel the blood drain from my face.

"Hey, you okay?" Matthew asks softly.

I glance at Francis. He's starting to lose interest in talking to me and is now flirting with Feliciano (even though I'm pretty sure the Italian doesn't realize it). I guess if I talked to Matthew, they wouldn't be shocked that I'm ignoring them.

I shake my head. "N-Not really." I realize that my head isn't the only thing shaking. It's my voice and my entire body, too.

Matthew slips his hand into mine and I blush. He blushes also. "My mom used to hold my hand when I got scared," he mumbles.

At the first flash of lightning, I find myself gripping Matthew's hand tighter. I hope I'm not hurting him! It starts to rain harder, complete with thunder and lightning. Totally un-awesome!

And now it gets worse. I forgot why I hate going to this beach so much, but now I remember. There's multiple bridges-most of them a few miles long-you have to cross to get to the beach. I literally feel like breaking down and crying. I'm extremely scared right now.

"C-Can I sc-scoot closer t-t-to you?" I stutter hopefully.

Matthew seems to understand how scared I am. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer to him. I bury my face into his shirt. I really don't want to see where we are right now.

"Please don't let the bridge collapse, please don't let the bridge collapse, please please please _please _don't let this bridge collapse," I murmur.

"Sh...you'll be okay," Matthew whispers soothingly.

I blush when he touches his lips to my forehead, but the color doesn't stay for long when I see the waves crashing into the bridge.

"We're all gonna die," I tell him.

"We're not going to die," Matthew reassures me. "Just don't look, okay?"

The sight of the waves is like a bad car accident. I just can't look away, no matter how much I want to. A tear slides down my cheek. Dammit! I thought I told myself that I wasn't going to cry. Matthew brushes the tear from my face, along with a few others that fall. I have to admit, I kind of like it. He decides that it's time for me to look away when he pulls me back towards him. My face is now hidden again.

I don't understand why I'm letting him do this. Any other time, I would've been like 'Hell, no!'. This is somewhat comforting, though. I've never really let anyone comfort me besides Mom, Dad, West, and Feliks. Even then, it had some sort of restriction. Am I, the awesome Gilda, falling for him? Ah, who am I kidding? I think I might have already been falling for Matthew.

I look up at him to see he's watching me. His eyes are concerned. How come almost all of the time I'm looking into his eyes, they look concerned?

"There aren't many bridges left to go," he tells me. "We're almost done with the bridges."

"I'm scared."

Blushing, he softly presses his lips to mine. "I won't let anything hurt you, Gilbert."

My heart flutters. I hug Matthew tighter and try to wait until he tells me that all of the bridges are gone. Why did he kiss me? Is it because he likes me, or is it because he was trying to comfort me? And telling me that he is going to protect me?

I think I've just died and come back to life. It's extremely girly (but hey, I'm a girl so it doesn't matter!), but I feel like squealing and exclaiming 'He cares about me!'. Even though it's difficult, I refrain from doing so.

Eventually Matthew says, "We're done with the bridges, but it's still storming."

When I look back up only to see dark, menacing, looming clouds rumbling with thunder and lighting up with lightning, I start to hyperventilate. Matthew rubs my back, and I calm down a little bit. Enough not to hyperventilate, at least. It feels like someone's watching me...I don't feel like looking.

When the bus slows to a stop, I look up excitedly only to realize that we're only stuck in traffic. I don't want to pull away from Matthew, but I don't want to hide my face anymore. I put myself in a position so I can look out the window, but I can still feel safe.

Twenty minutes later, the bus pulls up in the parking lot of a large hotel. It's very pretty and pink! Why would an all-boys school stay at a pink hotel? Don't boys hate pink? My knees shake as I stand up to get off of the bus. What if it starts to slide out of control while I'm still on? What if lightning strikes the bus and electrecutes us all? What if-

"We won't die," Matthew says, as if reading my mind. He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I start to walk. "Do you want to stay in the same room as me?"

I nod. "Please..." I notice how close the hotel is to some of the bridges and a small beach. I hope a tsunami doesn't suddenly come and wash us all away. Wow, I just noticed that I'm afraid of a lot of things that involve water.

Suitcases are handed out to the correct owner when we're under the awning. I roll mine into the elevator, Matthew, Antonio, and Francis following behind me. One of the teachers let us all stay with each other (thankfully!) and assigned us a room.

Room 206 has two beds and two couches with a TV on a small table. It also has a desk and a large window. There's also a balcony, but it's not like we'll go out there now. There's a small bathroom attached to the main room. Not small, but not big either.

"Ohonhonhon," Francis laughs. "It looks like we have to share ze beds. Who wants to sleep with me first?"

"The couches are futons, stupid," I say, my confidence slowly returning. "We don't have to share beds."

"I beet some of us would like to, _non_?"

I roll my eyes. "You're such a pervert."

"Are you just now figuring that out?" Antonio asks.

"No, I always knew. I'm just enforcing it." I yawn. "What time is it?"

"Already around eight," Matthew says.

"That late? Already? How long _was _that bus ride?"

"Considering some people were late and we ended up leaving at two-" Oh, yeah. We were supposed to leave at eight in the morning. "-we were a bit delayed. That, and the fact that it takes a few hours to get here, and all of the stops for gas. It's quite reasonable that we got here now."

I nod and go into the bathroom to change. When I come back out, the TV is on and playing some sort of dirty soap opera. I'm guessing it's Francis who has control of the remote right now. I groan.

Instead of asking for the remote, I decide to retrieve it the easier way. I pounce on Francis and start to wrestle it out of his hand. How this is the easier way? It's better than asking him and having him flirst with you until you get it.

"Ohonhonhon~!" Again with that annoying laugh! "If you wanted to get on top of me, you could've just asked."

"Shut up," I grumble, snatch the remote from him, and change the channel. I really don't care what's on as long as it isn't that soap opera. Screw TV, I'm reading instead.

I sit at the desk and start to read a random book I packed. Which one is this...? Oh, right. It's my book of Edgar Allen Poe poems. I like this guy. He's really...interesting. Depressing at times, but I like it. I don't know what time it is when the TV and lights are turned off, but by then I've already finished 'The Raven'. Man, that one is freaky.

The two beds are already claimed by Francis and Matthew, so Antonio and I are stuck with the futons. Just as I'm about to drift off to sleep, there's a loud peal of thunder. Then, there's some tapping. HOLY CRAP! I'm scared. I'm scared. There's a raven at the window, and it's come to take my soul! More tapping and thunder. What to do? I try to ignore it, but it doesn't work. I need someone to protect the awesome me!

I know! Matthew will protect me for sure. This is a perfect idea! Now my awesome soul won't be taken! I crawl into the bed with him.

"Huh?" he mumbles.

"I'm scared," I state the obvious.

"C'mere."

I slip into the newly-created spot and huddle near him.

"I'll protect you. Don't be scared." Matthew puts his arm around me.

"But I can't protect you, so what can I do in return?"

"You don't have to do anything. If my brother teaches anybody anything useful, it's that sometimes you just need to be a hero."

"I'm sorry for waking you," I apologize.

"It's alright. I wasn't asleep yet anyway." With that, Matthew kisses me again. "Goodnight."

I can't believe it, but I kiss him back. "'Night." My cheeks are burning, and my heart is racing. I just kissed him. I'm pretty proud of myself for working up the courage to do that.

Remember at the beginning of the bus ride when I said that I had a little-bigger-than-little crush on Matthew? Well, I have to make an adjustment to that. It has now transformed into a so-big-it's-not-even-funny-anymore crush. I snuggle into his chest, but realization hits me. What if he stops liking me if he finds out I'm a girl? No, no, that won't happen. He won't find out. I'll make sure of it!

* * *

Author's Note: I felt so bad for not updating, I decided to give you a chapter full of fluffyness! That's the warning. xD Extreme fluffiness. Anyway, when do you guys get out of school if you still have it? I realized that when I post on weekends, you guys read it. If I post on weekdays, you guys don't seem to notice it. If you guys tell me, I'll be able to update more often because I know you guys will read it! So how was the chapter? Fluffy enough? I hope it's fluffy enough to be accepted as an apology. 

Ren-Kyo: XiXi-dono wants me to say this: If you are reading this, and you also like PruHun, there's this awesmazing story called 'Moonstruck' by an author called 'XiXi Scarlett'. ...Hey, wait a minute...

Thank you, Renny-chan~! Reviews, please!

-XiXi Scarlett (accompanied by her Renny-chan)


	6. I Want to Murder Two People Now

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.

Title: Switch-A-Roo

Rating: T

Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."

Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing, France probably just being France. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.) 

I dedicate this fanfiction, along with all my others, to God. May all glory be to Him.

* * *

I yawn while we're in the aquarium. We're supposed to be classifying fish or something.

"You and Matthieu did more zan sleep in that bed, _non_?"

I blush deeply. "N-No! Shut up, Francis." I punch his arm.

"Zat hurts, _mon ami_." He looks at me like 'I'm-faking-it-but-you-just-fatally-wounded-me'. "So...was he good?"

"I didn't do _that_! I just slept with him! Oh, crap! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"Ohonhonhon~!"

"No, I didn't mean it like that! I meant like, we slept in the same bed!"

"Sure...sure..."

I huff and cross my arms. "I really hate you sometimes."

"It's because I'm right."

"DAMMIT! NO, YOU'RE NOT RIGHT! YOU'RE VERY WRONG! IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE!"

"Whatever you say~!" Francis smirks.

I want to murder Francis even more now. But in a friendly way. Like how other girls constantly say 'I love you!' to each other! Anyway, the class was _supposed _to be outside on the beach finding shells for some science-y thing or another, but _noooo. _The rain just had to keep falling! Well, at least I knew it was going to be a bad day when I woke up in a rather interesting position with Matthew and Francis was snickering. Did I mention he had a camera? It's always bad when Francis has a camera.

Stupid fish keeps swimming away when I try to figure out its species! Stop running, fishy! Ugh, this is so boring. I tap the glass to try to get a particularly annoying fish out of my line of sight. This is going to be a looooong field trip.

* * *

"Worst field trip _ever_!" I exclaim during the bus ride back. "It was so boring! All we could do was sort fish. STUPID RAIN!"

Francis rolls his eyes, then a smirk grows on his face. "You enjoyed ze nighttime, didn't you?"

I blush, just like I always do when Francis mentions that Matthew and I shared a bed. Once. "Oh, shush and stop being a pervert."

"I don't think that's possible," Matthew says.

The only thing Matthew and I did besides sharing a bed was come close to holding hands in the aquarium. We were walking close together with our hands brushing, and we were doing that weird thing where you try to discreetly reach for the other person's hand but keep missing (Yes, it happens!). Then, that thing happens where someone comes along and puts themself in between yourself and the other person and yells, 'Dudes! Artie and I saw a jellyfish back there!', and then an annoyed British person says, 'My name isn't Artie!'. Don't you hate it when that happens?

We keep talking (well, I'm complaining about the lamest field trip in history) throughout the whole ride back. We even start a game of the license plate game and get everybody in the bus to join in. America ended up winning when he spotted two Rhode Island license plates. You never see those!

The bus pulls in to the school parking lot. Nobody's there since it's a Saturday. It's weird havin overnight field trips because when you get back to school you're all like 'Whaaat?'.

Matthew grins at me. "I'm proud of you.'

"Huh?" I ask. "Why?"

"You made it through the whole bus ride without once getting scared of the bridges."

Upon hearing this, I pump my fist into the air with a loud 'YES!'. That's so AWESOME! Is it possible that I could be cured from my bridge-a-phobia (I don't care if it's really called gephyrophobia!)? I'm so awesome~! Hooray for mostly everything being awesome today~! This calls for a round of the awesome soung! Please sing it to the tune of the Doom Song. Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesomely awesome, awesome, awesome, AWESOME~! Song over.

When I walk into school on Monday, everybody is staring at me. Huh? What's up? A bunch of students are crowding around certain parts of the wall. I push through a few people to catch a glimpse of what they're staring at. Then, I see it.

"FRANCIS FREAKING BONNEFOY!" I'm going to freaking MURDER him for real! I storm through the hall looking for him. Then, I find my victim and pin him against the wall. I might be a girl, but that doesn't mean I'm weak.

"Why the hell would you put up pictures of Matthew and I sleeping together?" I cut off his remark, knowing that it'll be messed up. "I mean sharing a bed! Why? I'm going to KILL YOU!"

"It wasn't me, _mon ami_! I swear!" He puts up his hands in the 'I SURRENDER!' sign. "Don't hurt my beautiful face!"

"Like hell it wasn't!" I snap. With that, I turn on my heel and go towards my locker.

_SLAM! _The sound echoes through the hallway. When I reach Room 306, I sit at an empty seat in the corner. I'm so mad and Francis right now. When somebody stares at me, I return it with a sharp glare, and they immediately look away again. As soon as roll is finished, I ask Mrs. Krumse if I could go to the bathroom. After receiving permission, I leave the room before anybody can talk to me. I'm really not in the mood to talk to anybody.

Sitting on the floor against my locker, I decide I'm going to stay there until next period. It's not like Mrs. Krumse will notice. All I've gotta do is make it through the day without talking to anybody, and I'll be fine, right? Right?

All goes well until lunch, when Francis tries to approach me. I ignore him and keep talking to Antonio. Soon, I get fed up.

"Antonio, tell Francis that I'm not speaking to him," I say.

"Francis, Gilbert says he's not speaking to you."

"Fine! Antonio, tell Gilbert zat it wasn't me who put up ze pictures."

"Gilbert, Francis says it wasn't him who put up the pictures."

"Tell him I said that he was the only one with the camera, and that he should go jump off a cliff."

"Francis, Gilbert says you were the only one with the camera, and he wants you to go jump off a cliff."

"Say zat ze feelings are mutual."

"Gilbert-"

"I heard. Say that I won't jump off a cliff unless he does it first."

"Francis-"

"I heard zat! Tell him zat I want him to zrow himself off a bridge."

Ouch, that one hurt. "Tell him I want him to go break his face!"

"Tell him zat-"

"_CALLATE_!" Antonio interrupts. "Either stop talking completely or go and make up!"

I cross my arms and turn away from Antonio and Francis. "_Nein_."

Today really isn't going well, is it? I manage to suffer through the remaining classes. I just want to go home! I see a couple of boys heading up to the library. They've probably seen Matthew and I in there before and are gonna see if I go up there! I skip going up there and just start walking home. Before and after lunch, I hadn't talked to anyone unless necessary and was avoiding Matthew. Imagine the rumors that would spread if I did start hanging out with him again!

"Damn you, Francis," I mutter, finally escaping into the safety of my own room.

For the rest of the week, the same things happen. I ignore Francis, only talk when necessary, avoid Matthew, end up threatening Francis by having Antonio tell him things, and skip my tutoring thing. By the end of Friday, I am _not _in the mood for people to be staring at me.

"Shut up and stop staring!" I snarl with a glare.

I then start walking down the hall towards the door when Matthew tries to stop me.

"Hey, Gilbert. What's up? You haven't been show-"

"I don't feel like talking," I say flatly, cutting him off. I could've said something _way _worse, but I still have a crush on him. And it's the truth because I don't want to talk to anybody. "Just...leave me alone, okay?"

His face looses the cheery expression it had. "O-oh. I-I'm sorry." He starts to walk away.

"Wait, Matthew! I didn't...I mean-"

He turns around for a moment and flashes a fake smile. "It's okay. I get it." Then, he keeps walking.

Part of me says to go and explain to him what I really mean (which is that I just wanted to be alone for a while), but the other part of me says not to because rumors will just grow bigger than they probably already are. Maybe on Monday I'll explain. Yeah, Monday. Everybody will have forgotten about this by then.

Suddenly, I'm pinned to the wall.

"This is what happens when you refuse becoming one with me. Next time, you will become one with me, or I will expose your secret, da?" Ivan threatens.

OH, CRAP! "Wh-what secret?" I stutter.

"It's really obvious that you are a weak little girlie. Everybody else is just too stupid to notice."

"I'm not a girl!" I lie.

"Stop protesting, girl. Don't show up to school Monday, da? Kolkolkol..." With that, Ivan releases his grip on me (I'm just now realizing that he had actually lifted me up. Creepy...) and happily walks away. How did he keep a grin on his face the whole time?

Wait. Bigger problem on hand. Ivan knows that I'm a girl. If he knows, then do his friends know? Well, actually I don't think I'd call them friends. They mainly just follow him around with terrified expressions on their faces. God, I really hope that he didn't tell anybody.

I soon find myself texting Feliks telling him that I need to talk about an urgent matter. When I arrive there, I knock on the front door instead of the ladder. Mama (if you've forgotten, I call Feliks's parents Mama and Papa) opens the door.

"I'm home!" I announce jokingly.

"Hello, Gilda. Feliks is upstairs." Mama smiles warmly at me.

I run up the stairs and into Feliks's room.

"Like, what's so, like, urgent?" he asks, not looking up from his phone.

"So much stuff have happened since my field trip!" I exclaim.

This time, Feliks looks up. "Oh, you, like, mean the one where you, like, kissed that, like, Matthew boy?"

I nod and start explaining my whole week. I realize that I'm shedding a couple of tears by the end (stupid female emotions!).

Feliks pulls me into a hug. "That Francis guy is, like, totally a jerk! Like, I'm so sorry about Matthew, Gilda!"

"I don't think he likes me anymore. Totally un-awesome," I say sadly.

"He might still, like, like you. There's still, like, a chance!" he reassures me.

"If you say so." I shrug. "He didn't even let me explain."

"Then, like, ignore the rumors and, like, go after him! Duh!"

"That actually might just work."

"The great Feliks is, like, a genius!"

* * *

"I thought I told you not to show up at school, da?" Ivan shoves me as I'm walking towards Room 306.

I stumble a little bit. "I'm not afraid of you."

He blocks the door before I can get in. "I'll give you one more chance. Today we're playing flag tag again. Alliance with me, and I won't say anything."

"Shut up and get out of my way, da?" I mock his accent.

His expression turns sinister, and I have to admit that it frightens me. "Are you mocking me?"

I don't meet his eyes. "Yes. Problem?"

Ivan smacks my books out of my hands and hits me. He did _not _just hit this girl! He's gonna pay! Naturally, I punch him back. Fail on my part. Mere minutes later, I find myself slumped against the wall with a book on my head and a crowd of people around me. Well, ouch! Damn, this Ivan kid is strong. Didn't even let me get another hit in...

I lift the book from my hand and try to stand up, scowling at the group of people. I use the wall to support myself. Stumbling, I start to make my way towards the nurse's office. I notice that the hallway has gone completely silent. Everybody's probably more interested in watching me than whatever gossip they were talking about.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Matthew looking at me, a horrified expression on his face. Tears threaten to fall when he doesn't do anything.

_I didn't mean that I wanted you to leave me alone! _I want to shout. _I just didn't feel like talking! I'm sorry! I need help! Matthew, please!_

Wincing, I gingerly touch my stinging cheek. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OW! Just as I'm about to fall, somebody comes to my rescue. MATTHEW! YOU HEARD MY SILENT PLEA! THAT'S SO AWESOME!

"I can't bear to see you in pain," he murmurs. "I don't think I can handle it."

"You're just going to cause more rumors," I say in the most gentle way I can.

"So?" He shrugs. "I just don't want you to be hurt. How bad do you think you are?"

"I don't know, but I feel pretty messed up," I answer.

We soon arrive at the nurse's office. When she asks me where I was hit, I lie and tell her only my face. Really, I was punched in the gut multiple times, along with my arms (I think he was even able to kick my legs or something!).

"We're going to have to call your parents to come pick you up," the nurse tells me.

"No!" I exclaim a little too quickly. "I mean, my mom is in a very important meeting. She can't be called or she'll get fired." That's a believable lie, right?

"What about your father?"

"Uh...deceased." Yay for big word usage!

"Then how will you get home? The school policy states that if a student is in a condition like yours, they have to be sent home," the nurse states matter-of-factly.

"I can walk," I insist. "I swear I can make it! I don't live too far, really!"

"I can help him get home," Matthew speaks up. "If you'll allow me."

The nurse doesn't seem to believe us, but she says, "Alright. Get a move on."

"Thanks."

I end up with Matthew practically holding me up as we walk towards my house. Oh, no. Now he's going to know where I live! What if he randomly decides to show up, and I'm not ready? What if he finds out that Gilbert is never outside, but Gilda is? What if he starts wondering? WHAT IF HE STARTS TO STALK ME?

"It's this one," I say, pointing towards my house.

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Matthew asks, noticing that I almost fall when I'm standing on my own.

I nod, limping up the little stone passageway to the door. I trip, and Matthew rushes over to help me.

"It's no big deal if I miss just one day. I can stay and help."

"No, Matthew. I can handle this on my own."

He eyes me suspicously. "Okay, if you say so."

"Well, actually...My boo-boos hurt." I make a little pouty face at him. "Can you kiss them better?" Oh, God, why am I doing this?

He rolls his eyes and smiles. "Alright, fine." Matthew proceeds to kiss each mark on my face. I can't see them, but whatever. He kisses a spot near me eye, my forehead four times, the tip of my noose, and finally my lips. I'm not too sure that I'm hurt on that last one... "All better?"

I nod and grin. "Thank you, Matthew!"

"No problem. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think."

When he walks away, I close the door and sigh.

This is going to be hard to explain to Mom. It's a good thing she isn't home yet. Maybe I'll be able to cover it up with something by the time she gets back from doing whatever. I go upstairs into the bathroom and lock the door, just in case Mom is just out shopping and will come home any minute. My face looks really bad. My nose is bleeding, my left eye is swollen, my lip is busted, and there's a few cuts on my forehead. No wonder the nurse didn't want me to walk home.

I take off my shirt to examine the damage. Sure enough, there are some bruises forming on my arms and stomach. How was I not able to get a hit in? Ouch, they sting. Are bruises supposed to sting. My shins have red marks on them. Am I sure that it was only Ivan and not multiple people? No, not really. Am I sure that I ache all over? A big fat YES.

I leave the bathroom and cross the hallway to my bedroom. I change into loose pajamas. It's not like I'm going anywhere, right? Then, I go into my mom's bathroom. I'm sure she has concealer or something in here. I stick my head under the faucet of the sink and run cool water all over my face. Sure, I could've just splashed it on me, but this way is fun. Let's play the 'Watch-Gilda-Try-To-Apply-Make-Up' game! Luckily, the make-up matches my skin tone, so I'm able to hide the marks on my face pretty well.

When I'm finished, I look in the mirror to admire my work. It actually looks pretty good! I can't do much about my eye, though, but I can fix my nosebleed. I stuff a piece of toilet paper in my nose and go back to my room with the concealer in hand. I'm gonna need it later. I dig around in my desk drawer for the eyepatch I had to use when I wanted to be a pirate for Halloween. I can just wear it and tell Mom that I'm in a pirate-y mood, duh!

Okay, maybe this is going to be harder than I originally thought it would.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay~! Another chapter up for you guys~! Personally, I don't think much happened in this chapter, but maybe you guys think otherwise ^-^". Anywaaay, next chapter, more stuff will happen! I promise! Like the new cover-thing? I got it off Google Images. Whoever drew it, give credit to them! If anybody wants to draw a better cover, go on ahead and PM me the link. But, y'know, using instead of using '.'. Haha, that's confusing, I think.

Ren-Kyo: Before XiXi-dono starts ranting, I'll finish this. Review, please, and thank you for reading!

-XiXi Scarlett (accompanied by her Renny-chan)


	7. Am I Useless?

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.

Title: Switch-A-Roo

Rating: T

Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."

Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing, France probably just being France. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.) !LOOK!: Bullying and break downs in this chapter!

P.S: Hey, guys. I just noticed that I use parentheses a whole lot in this story. CHALLENGE TIME! Either by this fic is over, or whenever you decide to start, have a drinking game with whatever you're allowed to use (Pepsi, here I come!) and drink every time I use parentheses. xD

I dedicate this fanfiction, along with all my others, to God. May all glory be to Him.

* * *

I'm more jumpier than usual this morning. After breakfast, Mom had questioned me as to where her concealer was. I had told her that she threw it out yesterday. She let me go after that, but I don't think she was convinced. Then, when the person next to me slammed his locker shut, I flinched and whirled around expecting to see Ivan. Now, I think I'm safe in 306. Ivan wouldn't hurt me here, right? I mean, there's a teacher right in the attatched room!

And if my paranoia isn't enough, I feel really bad for blaming Francis for the picture. I'm just now putting the puzzle pieces together and realizing that it's most likely Ivan who is the owner of the picture. I decide to go apologize to him once Mrs. Krumse shuts up.

"Hey, Francis, I'm really-" I start, but he just walks across the room, completely ignoring me. I follow him. "Francis-" I'm once again cut off as he starts talking to somebody (still ignoring me!). "Fine, be that way," I mutter under my breath, walking away. I'll just have to keep trying later.

At least that's what I thought. I have no luck in trying to communicate whatsoever. Not even when I threw a note onto his desk in French class (which he never pays attention in anyway), nor when I tried to get Antonio to carry my message ("I only got to 'Gilbert says' and then he stormed off!"). Hm...how can I try to get him to talk to me...? IDEA! Imagine the floaty little lightbulb above my head now.

"Francis." Poke. "Hey, Francis." Poke, poke. "I'm sorry, Francis." Pokeity poke. "Extremely sorry. I didn't know. I just thought because you had a camera, and yeah." Poke. "Will you forgive me, Francis?" Pokey poke poke poke. "Please?" Poke. "With a cherry on top?" Poke. "Don't make me steal your vital regions to make you forgive me." Poke. POKE. POKE. REPEATED POKING. "_Francis_." I drag out the 'a' and the 's' on that last one.

Just as I think he is going to reply to me, Francis picks up his pace and doesn't even glance in my direction. I'm guessing I look pretty stupid with my finger in the air right then, so I put it down. Why won't he just _listen _to me? Well...I guess I kinda deserve it for being a bit of a jerk. Okay, maybe a lot of jerk. Man, it doesn't feel nice when a friend is ignoring you. The hallways are starting to clear out, so I decide I better hurry if I want to be in class on time.

I let out a little yelp of surprise as my shoulder is slammed into the wall. Ivan, _again_?

"The little girlie decided a little bit of hurt was too much for her. Is that why you didn't show up for the rest of the day?" He glares at me.

"Ah, I didn't mean it!" I squeak pathetically. Argh, where's super-awesome-and-tough-and-pretty-hot-Gilda when you need her?

"You deserve punishment, da?" With that, he roughly throws me over his shoulder.

I beat my fists against his back in an attempt to be put down. "Let me down, dammit! HELP! I'M BEING KIDNAPPED! SOMEBODY! Anybody? This is hopeless...IVAN BRAGINSKI! LET ME DOWN RIGHT NOW BEFORE I HURT YOU REAL BAD!"

"Stupid girl," he says simply. "You're pathetic and weak. Useless. Nobody would mind if you just died, da?"

Uh, oh. We're going on the bridge. I really hope he doesn't know about my fear. I gulp and try to continue shouting at him, but my voice goes all shaky. Ivan throws me against the railing. Ouch!

"You're afraid of bridges, da?" he grins evilly (I'm just waiting for the MUAHAHA! Or, in his case, the 'kolkolkol'). "We'll see how afraid you are. Kolkolkol." (Ah, there it is.)

In a flash, I find myself dangling from the railing. Is he trying to kill me or something? If he really knows that I'm a girl, he'd probably not try to FREAKING MURDER ME! Especially with how scared I am! I'm clutching the cold railing for dear life. In this situation, I guess I really am hanging on for my life. I know I can't fall (he was nice enough to tie me to a little protruding thing on the rail so I can't die), but I'm scared that I'll break the cords or something.

"Don't tell anybody, worthless girl. It's a secret, da? Kolkolkol." And I'm alone. How can he be so cruel? And to a girl!

I gulp again and try to swing myself up. Unfortunately, my attempt are fruitless. Somebody, _anybody_, come help me! I refrain from looking down, knowing that I'll only get more scared. Is he even allowed to do this? Can't he get expelled or arrested or something? I need to tell somebody, but I can't. They'll notify my mom for sure, and then she'll make me go to etiquette school. I guess this is a battle I'll have to fight alone, no matter how much I want help.

I kick my legs up to try and get a grip and be able to climb up. I just miss my target by an inch. It's no help that my legs still ache, or that my arms feel like they're going to give out any moment, or even that my hands are now starting to sweat, and I'm probably gonna end up slipping. Which will lead to my wrists possibly being torn off. Which will lead to me falling to my death. This is why I hate/am terrified of bridges.

Aha! I manage to get my feet in the little space between the bottom of the railing and the concrete. Now I just need to find a way to...There we go! I swing my leg and the rest of me up and over the railing. I'm shaking so badly, I can barely untie the cord from my wrists (I'm trying to untie it with my teeth. Stupid Ivan tied _both _my wrists). Now that I'm up, it's starting to dig into my skin, effectively drawing blood. I start to panic (it's a miracle I wasn't panicking while dangling) and twist my wrists in an attempt to break them free. More blood. Okay, it's not a whole lot, but it still hurts! I eventually break free from those cords that could have saved my life if I needed them to, but there's I didn't escape without a mark. The cuts left make it look like I was cutting myself.

I rush to my locker and pull out my black hoodie. This could hide the marks! I pull it over my head just as the bell rings, signaling the start of lunch. I was there for a whole fifty-five minutes? Well, Ivan taunting me and then threatening me probably took at least ten minutes, but still! And I was pitifully trying to get back up, thinking I was going to die for about half an hour. And then breaking myself free and getting back to my locker probably took up the remaining fifteen minutes. God, since when did I become so weak?

I start limping (just when I thought my legs were going to get better!) to the cafeteria and sit at my usual spot. I can feel a frown tugging at my lips, but I forbid myself to cry. I'm still terrified. I pinch my arm in hopes of restraining the tears, but all I end up with is a very irritated bruise, so I bite my tongue instead.

"What's up? Why weren't you in French?" a soft voice asks from behind me.

"Oh, hi, Matthew." I flash a fake smile. "Um, it's nothing. It's just...I was needed in the...library for something. I'm fine."

He puts his hands on my shoudler, and I wince (hiding it quickly, to my amazement) because he touches the shoulder Ivan ever-so-rudely slammed into the wall. "Are you sure?"

Painfully, I shrug his hands off. "You don't have to worry so much about me. I'm fine, really."

"Are you coming to the library after school today?" Thank goodness he's changing the subject.

I nod. "Yeah. I haven't been in so long, and my grades aren't exactly cooperating. I-I'm sorry for abandoning that."

"It's fine. Hey, do you-" Matthew doesn't get a chance to finish his sentence.

"Have you heard of zat Gilbert boy?" Francis's voice is purposefully raised as he talks to the person next to him. "Don't ever make him mad. He won't _ever _apologize. It's horrible." He puts his hand to his forehead over-dramatically. "Oh, how I've been ignored for so long!"

"Hey!" I slam my hands on the table (bad idea! Ow ow, wrists hurting...), abruptly standing up. "I've tried to talk to you, Francis, but you just won't listen."

"No, you haven't!" he protests. "I never heard you say anyzing to me!"

"Well, then listen now! I'm sorry for blaming you about the picture! It feels really awful to lose a friend, even if he does like making pervy jokes! Can you forgive me? Please? With a cherry on top?" I plead.

"..."

"Pwetty pwease?"

"..."

Feeling defeated, I sit back down and continue my lunch in silence. I don't even listen to Matthew, who's trying to talk to me, or Antonio, who is trying to tell me to just make up with Francis (even though that's clearly what I'm trying to do!). Can this day get any worse?

* * *

Yes, yes it can. We're playing survival flag tag again. I groan internally and make my way toward's Ivan reluctantly. Why am I giving in to him? That's a sign of weakness! The awesome Gilda is not weak! She's not weak!

"Become one with me now, da?"

"..." Come on, Gilda! Say no! Say no, NOW! "..." You can do it! "...Uh, yeah..." DAMMIT!

"Good choice," he lowers his voice to just above a whisper; even though I can barely hear him, I can hear his voice ringing clearly in my head, "girlie."

Ivan ends up winning the whole thing, but he still decides to punch my arm 'jokingly'. I'm guessing the fact that he hit a bruise (rather hard, might I add) is an 'accident'. I trudge up to the library, trailing behind Matthew. By now, I feel hurt all over, and I just want to go home. But I already told Matthew that I'd be there today, so I'll feel even worse if I bail. And on top of all that, Francis still hasn't said a word to me.

"I know you've told me to stop worrying so much," Matthew starts, "but I don't think you're okay."

The way he looks at me makes me almost want to break down and tell him everything right there. I don't want to, though. "I-I'm fine." I rest my head on my hand. The sleeve pulls down a little, and I hurry to pull it up again, but Matthew catches my arm.

"I noticed those at lunch. Can't you tell me what's wrong?"

I shake my head. I'm afraid that my if I talk, my voice will give away everything.

"Did you make those by yourself?" he asks.

I shake my head again.

"Can you tell me who hurt you?"

Once more, I shake my head. It takes every ounce of what little strength I have left not to fall into his arms and start crying, telling him about everything in my day.

"Can we just get to the math?" I ask through gritted teeth.

Taking one last worried glance at me, he nods and looks down at his textbook. "Yeah. Really, these problems are simple to operate, but easy to mess up on. All you have to do is..."

The rest I hear is just 'blah blah blah blah blah math blah blah'. I can't take it anymore!

"Can I go home now?" I cut him off.

"I guess. But, Gilbert?"

I turn and glare at him.

Blushing, Matthew doesn't meet my gaze. "J-Just don't get hurt anymore."

"I'm not trying to," I say quietly, voice shaking. Just when he is going to reply, I quickly walk out of the library, out of the hallway, all the way out of the school. Stop at the gas station, change, then all the way home and up to my room.

I can't hear any noise coming from West's room or from downstairs. It's unusually quiet, but I guess that they're just doing something else. I don't need to be there right now, though. At least, I don't think. I'm tired...I rest my head on my desk for a moment to rest my eyes. Just for a moment...

_Ivan's tall figure stands over me, his eyes showing nothing but amusement. Is it amusing to make other people feel so small and insignificant? I scramble backwards and bump into a wall. The room gets smaller, closing in until there's only just enough room for us both to fit._

_"Useless...worthless...stupid...pathetic...weak...nobody could care less if you just died..." his voice echoes, and it doesn't seem like it's in the room anymore. It echoes throughout my head. "Useless...worthless..." He repeats the insults._

_I try to block my ears. "Be quiet!" I scream. "Stop it! Stop it! Shut up!" I start to shake uncontrollably. I want to get up and punch the crap out of him, but my body won't cooperate. "Sh-shut up! It's not true! It's...it's not true..."_

_The voice and body changes. It's Matthew standing in front of me, hurling the same stinging insults at me. I keep screaming what I was with Ivan, but my tears just start to come harder. But it's this one that hurts me the most. The one that makes the tears come down the hardest. The person shifts to my own father. I feel like I'm almost drowning in my tears. Then, he disappears, but all three voices chorus in my head._

_"Useless...worthless..."_

_The small room I'm in starts to fill up with water._

_"Stupid...pathetic..."_

_I pound against the wall. "HELP! HELP ME! I NEED HELP! HELP ME! HELP!" I screech. "HELP!"_

_"Weak...nobody would care if you just died..."_

_The water is almost completely filling the room. It's up to my neck now. It's covering my mouth, my nose._

_"You deserved to die on the bridge," the voices say in unison._

"HELP!" I scream at the top of my lungs, bolting upright. My heart is pounding, and I'm shaking. I...I... "I CAN'T BREATHE! HELP! HELP ME!"

Both Mom and West burst into my room, instantly coming to my side.

"Honey, honey, calm down. What's wrong? Sweetie, it's okay," she murmurs.

"Gilda, are you okay?" West asks.

"I can't breathe!" I exclaim. "I'm drowning!" Tears have been rolling down my face.

"Gilda, tell me what's wrong. Please, I'm your mother. Tell me what's upsetting you." Mom pulls me into a hug and rubs my back.

"I'm drowning," I sob. "I'm drowning, and I can't breathe." I suddenly come to my senses, feeling embarassed that I just broke down. "I-I had a nightmare."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"N-No. I just want to f-finish my h-homework."

Reluctantly, Mom stands up. "Okay, but if you want to talk about it, just come, okay?"

"Okay."

She closes the door, leaving West and I alone in the room. Why is he still here?

"Who's been bullying you?" West demands.

"Nobody," I lie.

"I can tell when you're lying, Gilda. I know that you only wake up screaming when someone's been bullying you. It was _that _dream again, wasn't it?" Damn, he can see right through me.

I nod. Whenever I was bullied when I was younger, I'd have the same exact dream. Except Ivan and Matthew would be replaced by the taunters, and the insults also replaced. And I'd wake up screaming each time.

"Do you need me to kick somebody's ass?" He puts his hand on my shoulder. The same shoulder that has been touched far too many times today.

I wince. "Isn't that harsh language. Haha..." I lamely cover up my wince. Like I was wincing because of his language.

"Gilda, you and I both know that you've used worse words before."

"I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle."

"So somebody is hurting you?"

"Get out," I say darkly. I can damn well handle this on my own!

"Fine, fine. Be that way." And I'm alone (again!).

My hands are shaking again, and I know that I'm crying. Again. Ivan's voice is still in my head, even after I've convinced myself that he was lying. He's lying. I'm not weak. I'm not, right? And now I think I've lost Francis as a friend completely. And Matthew most likely doesn't trust me. _And _Ivan's probably going to wound me tomorrow. I'm so glad this concealer is waterproof...

I make a decision. I have to fight back, or I'll never get over it. But how? How can I fight back against somebody so much stronger than I am? I can't do anything, that's what! If I insult him, he'll maul me. If I hit him, he'll hit back. How could he do that to a-and I can't believe I'm saying this-poor little defenseless girl? I literally am defenseless in this situation.

I abandon my homework and just flop on the ground. I lie there, curling myself into a little ball. Maybe Ivan is right. Maybe I am all those things. No, no, I _know _that I'm all of those things. I sure as hell don't feel strong, important, or cared about right now. I hate throwing pity parties for myself, but I really can't control my thoughts. Maybe this is why Francis isn't my friend anymore. Maybe I'm just a mistake. A stupid, pathetic, useless, wothless, weak mistake that nobody would care about if she just dropped off the face of the earth.

I force myself to keep going to school. To keep enduring this _torture_! At least Ivan isn't physically hurting me. It's just words. That's what I'm trying to convince myself. He's just saying words that mean nothing to me. Just stupid sounds coming out of his mouth. I can barely even hear his voice anymore.

"You're shaking," Matthew comments while walking home with me on Thursday. "Again."

"It's nothing," I insist.

"No, it's not. Gilbert, _please _tell me what's bothering you," he begs.

I force myself to look at his eyes. And that's when I break down. Matthew holds me in his arms and rubs my back, whispering things like 'it's okay' and 'you'll be alright'. At least, that's what I think he's saying. I can only hear parts of those words mixed with the insults from the reoccuring nightmare.

"LIAR!" I outburst. "You liar!" I'm not sure what I'm talking about; the insults or the comforting words. "You're lying to me. You have to be lying. Y-You have to be...Tell me you're lying. You don't mean those things! You...you wouldn't hurt me like that, right?" That's it. I'm hysterical. Somebody call the mental institution.

"Gilbert, what are you talking about?"

"Y-You're calling me all those mean things," I sob. "L-Like worthless and pathetic and weak! Y-You're lying, right?"

"I'd never call you those things," he whispers. "Where would you even get an idea like that?"

"Y-You and-" my voice catches, "-_him _are c-calling me those things."

"Who's 'him'?"

"I can't tell you."

"Okay, okay, shh..." Matthew tries to calm me down, but I'm letting out the tears I've forbidden to let go. Even at home, I stopped myself from crying. "You'll be fine."

"Ivan Braginski," I mutter.

"What about him?"

"It was him! He did this to me!" I wipe off the concealer with my hands roughly and roll up my sleeves, exposing bruises that haven't healed. I roll up my pant legs, showing the red marks on my shins. Finally, I tug my shirt up a little bit to show him some of the marks there. "He did this! I'm so weak." I pull my shirt down again. "I'm so weak..."

"Did he do anything else to you?" I can see in his eyes that he's furious, but he still manages to keep the same gentle tone.

I nod. "H-he..." I trail off. I don't want to talk about the bridge thing. Ivan said it was a secret, but I've already said so much... "He...the bridge...cords..." I fling myself into his arms (pathetically). "He left me hanging there! You can't tell-"

"Gilbert, this is serious," he interrupts. "If he was dangling you from a freaking _bridge_, he can get expelled, and you won't ever have to deal with him again."

"No, please!" I cry. "You can't tell anybody! You can't! I-It's a secret! Please don't tell! Please! Please. Please..."

"Gilbert-"

"Please!"

He sighs, giving in. "Alright. Alright. I won't tell." Pulling my chin up, he brushes hair from my face and kisses me. "You should tell me these things. I want to be there for you."

"H-He said-"

"Forget what he said _then _and focus on what I'm saying _now_. Next time somebody is bullying you, I want you to tell me. I'll always be there for you, even if the world is turning against you."

I feel a little better when he says this. "Th-thank you, Matthew. Don't tell, please. I'm begging you."

"Okay, I won't tell. Get home safely, okay?"

I nod and start walking towards the gas station to change. I reapply the concealer and walk home lonely. I can't believe I just told Matthew everything. I told him the things I wouldn't tell my own family! There's something wrong with me. There has to be something wrong with me.

My world feels like it's crumbling around me.

* * *

Author's Note: O.O Whoa, I finished this chapter all in one day. I started working on it as soon as I uploaded chapter six for an hour or so, then took a break, and then I started again at eleven thirty p.m. and kept working until now, which is three thirty in the morning. That is a total of...six or something hours for four-thousand words. That's a lot. Well, the _whole _time wasn't spent on just writing this. I'm too lazy to subtract the tiny breaks I took. So maybe it's really around four hours? I dunno...I'm tired...

Ren-Kyo: Reviews are wonderful!

-XiXi Scarlett (accompanied by her Renny-chan)

EDIT: Okay, I'm more awake now, and I'm about to post this. Well, I think this is a pretty good chapter for being written at the times mentioned above there. Um...Oh, yeah! I might be going to a Supercon in Miami, Florida! I'll be visiting there, and I might be able to go. I'm cosplaying as casual Gilda/fem!Prussia. I'll have a Gilbird (that I just finished making) on my head. If you see me, drop by and say hey. Don't say you know me from fanfiction, though. Say these exact words, 'I'm (user)! I like your cosplay! Gilda, right?'. ^-^" My mom doesn't exactly know I'm on this site, sooo...Anyway, this chapter is where stuff happens and the drama starts! He's an evil little Ivan, isn't he? If you think Gilda's reactions aren't realistic, they actually are. I had a friend who literally felt like this. Nightmares, crying stuff, and all. It was terrible. And the bridge thing, it happened once in my state. I forgot wheere exactly, but the guy who did it almost got away with it. Anyway, this A/N is getting waay too long, so review, please!

-XiXi Scarlett


	8. Falling Inside the Black

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This author's note probably won't really change for the rest of the story, so you won't have to read it after you've read the first part. I'll put the story info here, I guess.

Title: Switch-A-Roo

Rating: T

Description: "Did you see the new kid? Gilbert, I think his name was. Yeah, he's weird. He doesn't change in the boys' locker room, his voice is a little strange, and the way he walks is almost like a girl! Oh, and did you notice he always wears a hat? Yeah, he's definitely a strange one."

Warnings: AU, fem!Prussia, PruCan, USUK, some swearing, France probably just being France. (I'll post a big !LOOK! If there's a warning for a certain chapter.) !LOOK!: Well, this isn't really a warning, but for part of this chapter, there's a really good song that fits with it. I suggest you put it on repeat during that part. I'll tell you when, don't worry. And if you can't stand the song, I'll post lyrics at the end. 

P.S: Hey, guys. I just noticed that I use parentheses a whole lot in this story. CHALLENGE TIME! Either by this fic is over, or whenever you decide to start, have a drinking game with whatever you're allowed to use (Pepsi, here I come!) and drink every time I use parentheses. xD

I dedicate this fanfiction, along with all my others, to God. May all glory be to Him.

* * *

_My world feels like it's crumbling around me._

That sentence has never been truer. I force a fake smile with a 'today was awesome, Mom!'. I'm acting like everything is alright, but no, it's not. Nothing's 'alright'. It won't be okay. This can't get any better, no matter what. And I still have to go to that hellhole. No, not the hospital. I mean school. It's not over for a at least a few more months.

I can't even show the slightest bit of emotion without having somebody say something about. It's better just to keep a poker face and say nothing, but I don't want to be that kind of person. I want to have fun and laugh and stuff. Stupid Ivan! It's his fault! It's not my fault! Besides, I can't control how I think of myself. Other people do...right?

Why did I even come today again? It's not like people are expecting me to show up. Ivan's right, nobody would care if I just died, wouldn't they? Everybody hates me, I'm sure of it. Matthew's just pretending! Antonio, too! They're all pretending.

_Man up, Gilda! You're not supposed to be some weak girl who feels like the world is out to get you! It's not your character_, a voice says in my mind. Shut up and stop lying!

I heave a sigh of relief when I notice that Ivan isn't here today. He never misses school, so it's a little strange, but I'm not complaining! Maybe I can escape the usual Monday taunts today. I really really _really _hope that it's something serious. Something that could even kill him...

STOP IT! You'll be just as bad as him if you keep wishing death upon people like that!

But how I wish he'll be weak enough so I can-

Gilda Beilschmidt, keep talking like that, and I will make you hit yourself! I rest my head in my hands. I don't want to think like this! None of this! Maybe if I _did _go to that etiquette school, none of this would have happened! This is why you should listen to your parents, children! If you don't, you'll end up like me.

"_Never give in. Never back down._"

Music starts faintly playing. Am I dozing off or something?

"_Never give in.  
Never back down.  
Never give in.  
Never back down.  
When your life feels lost, FIGHT AGAINST ALL ODDS!  
Never give in, NEVER BACK DOWN!_"

I lift my head up. "Huh?" The headphones slide off of my head. Alfred's standing in front of my desk grinning.

"You looked kinda down, so I decided to be a hero and give you encouragement music! Pretty awesome, huh? Iggy-"

"MY NAME IS NOT IGGY, YOU BLOODY TWAT!" Arthur interrupts from the other side of the room.

"-showed me it when he was in his punk rocker mood." Alfred then takes his headphones back and skips back to Arthur. Watching them, I realize that they could make a good couple.

Well, that music was sort of encouraging. Fight against all odds, huh? Meh, seems hard. If you're fighting against _every single _odd, then you can't watch what's going to sneak up on you. If you're fighting the odds, then they're all against you, and that's bad. Especially if it's only you against all those odds. Where are the evens? Aren't they supposed to keep the odds in line? Moral of the story: Fight against the odds. Maybe the evens are on your side.

I crack a smile. A real one, too! Wow, that feels awesome. Try keeping a straight face and only smiling fakely for a while. You'll see how refreshing it is to smile genuinely. Today might actually be a good Monday after all!

o-O-o

I've really gotta stop jinxing myself. Guess who showed up after lunch today? Yep, you guessed it. Ivan. Can't he just leave and stay gone? I tell Alfred to keep his 'encouragement music' on standby for me. I might need it later. I'm gonna fight back today. Well, I'm going to try, at least. Just like that song said, fight against all odds! What it didn't mention was that you could possibly be beaten to a bloddy pulp if you don't run fast enough!

So I walk up to Ivan, take a deep breath, and...

...

Wait for it.

...

"You're meaningless."

Still...wait for it...

Almost there...

...

"YOU'RE SO NOT AWESOME!" I shout. Here comes the 'sprint-and-get-out-of-there-as-fast-as-you-can' part! I'm really close to laughing maniacally as I run, but I refrain because I could run out of air quicker that way.

I sprint through the seemingly endless hallways calling out 'sorry!'s to people I bump into or cut in front of. I make quick, sharp turns so it's harder to follow me, and then I run out a side entrance of the school. It's almost the end of the day anyway, so it's not like it matters. Chest heaving, I'm out of the danger zone. I think.

Back to Gilda mode! I skip back home, happy with myself for once.

"I'm home!" I announce.

Mom is rushing around the house, dressed like she is about to go somewhere important. "Oh, hello, Gilda! Did you have a good day?" She doesn't wait for a response. (The one time I feel good about answering!) "Will you be alright if you're by yourself this weekend?"

"With West?"

"No, he's going to be out all weekend, too. You see, I have an important meeting with a company. It's very good, and I might be able to get a new job." Mom smiles widely at me. "Won't that be nice?"

I nod. "I'm a big girl now, Mommy! I can take care of myself!"

"Okay, good. I'll see you soon, Gilda." With that, she kisses my forehead and promptly leaves the house, suitcase rolling behind her.

When I hear the car leave the driveway, I let out a laugh. "Kesesesese~! What shall the awesome Gilda do for fun?"

Hm...Let's see. I've always wanted to stay home alone for more than two hours, but now I don't know what to do. Oh! I remember what was on my list now! There are things like go to the store by yourself (kinda lame, I know), raid West's room (I made this up when I was younger, okay? But still...what kind of dirty secrets could you find in there?), stay up all night without leaving the living room couch (why is this on here?), trick someone into thinking you're a boy (how ironic), and have a sleepover (nah). What was I thinking when I put those things on here?

I'm hungry. Skipping, I make my way into the kitchen and look through the pantry for my favorite cereal. Gasp! There's no heavenly chocolate cereal that has chocolate filling in it! Makes you want to try it now, doesn't it? Double gasp! There's no milk! I can't possibly survive the weekend with no cereal or milk! Time to check off number one on the list! I better change back into Gilbert (now it sounds like I'm talking about another form of myself or something) just in case some of the boys at school are there. Better safe than sorry, as some random person said!

Meh...maybe I'll go out later. I've already changed, but I don't feel like going outside right now. Hm...maybe I'll play a video game until I _really _want my cereal. Popping in the little disc, I sit on the couch with the control in hand. It starts to rain. Doesn't matter; I'll just take an umbrella with me. The game I'm playing takes FOREVER to load. Waiting, waiting, I made it out of snow,-WHITE SNOW!-but they won't stay lit, and this song makes no sense AT ALL!

Do do do do do~! Walking around in-game, pulling up weeds to make my town (named Awesome-town!) more awesome than it already is~! This is a really interesting life-sim. You can have your character go to school and everything, and it's just like real life. You actually have to 'do' homework and 'clean' your character's room, or else you'll face consequences. Unfortunately, the school also has bullies. But in this, you can actually fight back.

"You're pathetic," the in-game bully (that I named Stupid. His friend is named Ugly-face) says to my character.

It triggers something, though, even when I really wish it didn't. I'm recalling what Ivan said to me today. Meaningless? Am I...meaningless? N-No, I can't be meaningless. I mean stuff to people, right? But...what if they're being paid to like me? What if Mom and West aren't really my mother and brother and are just being paid to act that way to spare my feelings? What if the government secretly is paying everyone who interacts with me because I'm really a psycho that could be set off by the slightest thing, and everybody is on a script because of that?

(Start listening to 'Falling Through The Black' by Skillet [on repeat!] here.)

And everyone really has an extreme hatred of me? And I'm a criminal in thirty-one countries? Or if I'm really a controlled robot that thinks they have feelings? I'm cold...and meaningless. I mean nothing. If I disappeared, everything would be better for everybody else, right? They wouldn't have to be on a strict script anymore. They wouldn't have to force emotions. They wouldn't have to interact with someone who's supposed to be in a mental hospital. It would all be better without me.

I feel so alone right now. I bet nobody else is in my same situation. I'm unique in a bad way. Nobody likes me. Nobody. Not even Feliks or Mom or West or Mama or Papa. Hell, I bet even my own father hated me! Maybe that's why he appeared in my nightmare. Him, Ivan, and...

...Matthew. H-he would hate me, too. If everybody else does.

_"...even if the world is turning against you..."_

That liar! I knew he was lying to me! Why can't things go back to the way they were, if it was ever different. When people actually cared about me. When I wasn't meaningless or weak or stupid or pathetic or useless or worthless or anything! When I wsa still genuinely loved.

Pfft, there was no such time, a part of me says. No such time? Someone told me that everybody was loved at least once. If nobody ever loved me, then I am quite meaningless, aren't I? I can't ever go back.

Brr...I don't like being this cold. I'm shivering. What's with the sudden temperature drop? And it's dark out here. Wet, too. Wait...back up. Out here? Wet? I can't see anything. Judging by the sudden flashes of lightning (followed by thunder), I see that I'm outside. But even those flashes give me only a glimpse. I can't be too far away from home. Maybe a couple steps out? How long have I been out here? The wind picks up, chilling me even further. I-I can't move. The most I can do is just curl into even more of a little ball.

"Gilbert? I-Is that you?" Matthew's voice calls.

"M-Matthew? H-Help me. P-Please." My teeth are chattering. I just want to know how long I've been out here. Ow...I feel numb all over. "I can't m-m-move. Or see. I-It's hard to see."

I feel a slight warmth, and I no longer feel the hard pavement I was on (I think I'm in the driveway). I can feel that my clothes must be soaked all the way through. The wind starts to whistle rather loudly.

"Are you okay?" I can only faintly hear Matthew's voice. "Don't scream, Gilbert. It's just me."

Huh? Screaming? When I start to ask him about me screaming, the whistling stops. Dang, I can scream like _that_? "S-sorry."

"Why were you just laying there in the driveway?" he asks.

"I-I don't know. I w-want to g-go inside," I mumble in response. With sudden realization, I find that I'm being carried. Blood rushes to my cheeks. "I'm cold."

"Do you have a key to get inside?"

With numb fingers, I pull out the key from my back pocket (it takes serious skill to take stuff out of your pockets when you're being carried, children!). Minutes later, we're inside. The air conditioning is on, which makes it all the more worse.

"L-Let me go change. Just sit on the couch or something, 'kay?" I say softly (now I know what it feels like to talk like Matthew), heading into the bathroom.

I change quickly and run into my room for my blanket. I might be semi-dry, but I'm still cold. Besides, it's fun to have a blanket in a thunderstorm. I enter the living room again to find that the power shuts off as soon as I enter the room.

"Why are you here?" Ack! That sounds rude! Snuggling into my blanket, I rephrase my question. "I mean, not that I don't want you here. I was just wondering...why'd you come over?"

"I decided to come check on you. Y'know, just in case you developed some fear of thunderstorms." He chuckles. "But I guess I have to leave soon."

I reach out blindly for him before finally grabbing his wrist. "N-No! Don't leave me alone! It's dark, and I don't want to be alone in the dark!" If the situation was different, I would've been fine. But considering that I ran home while possibly being chased by Ivan, it's dark, and there's a thunderstorm, I don't want to be murdered. "Please don't leave!"

"What's wrong?" he asks, sitting back down. "When I first met you, you were tough. You had a 'nothing-scares-me' attitude and-as my brother so delicately puts it-you looked 'badass'. What's been bothering you? Is it Ivan?"

I nod, but remember that he can't see me. "Yes, it is," I whisper. "I-I'm meaningless."

"Don't say that."

"But it's true, isn't it?"

"Did Ivan tell you you're meaningless?"

"Yes."

('Kay, you can stop listening to the song now.)

"Did you know that he was lying?"

"...No. But how is he lying?" I proceed to explain to him about my psycho murderer idea with the script thing. "I don't really mean anything to anybody, Matthew."

"That's one of the biggest lies I've ever heard. There's someone out there-not very far. He goes to our school, actually-that cares about you. In fact, you're his whole world, really. I can't say his name because he'd, well, he'd be too embarassed to ever talk to you again. This person may just be one person, but he still cares about you a whole lot, and he really would be devastated if something ever happened to you," he tells me.

"Really? Who is it?" Hm...I've never noticed. If someone really does care about me, then why don't they come comfort me or something? Why don't they come talk to me? Why don't they even say hi or something?

"I already told you that I can't say his name."

"Aww..." For extra warmth purposes (and this time not for my own pleasure/safety! Okay, maybe a little bit for my own pleasure...), I press myself to Matthew. Mm...warm...just like at that sleepover that one time. "You're warm. Why are you always so warm?"

I feel him shrug. Deciding it probably won't be too weird (and I also momentarily forget that I'm supposed to be a guy at the moment), I curl myself onto his lap. The only part of me that is warm on its own is my face. It's much warmer here. I don't care if it's weird; it's warm, and that's what matters. Not to mention that I'm on a really cute guy's lap. We're both silent, but I don't think it's really an awkward silence. A comfortable silence.

"You're really adorable when you randomly do things like this," Matthew comments. "You remind me of a kitten or something."

I feel like responding with a 'you're cute all the time', but instead I just do this: "Mew."

He pets my head. "Good kitty," he laughs.

Then there's that awkward moment where two people are laughing, and they both stop at the same time. It's awkward because we don't start laughing again like what usually happens in the movies. Hesitantly, I crane my neck up so I can kiss him. Why? Just 'cause. But get this, he actually lets me kiss him. Cue the 'squee' coming from weird stalker fangirls. Heart pounding, I slip my tongue out a little. AND. GET. THIS. He lets me do that, too! Now I'm surpressing a 'squee' of my own. Part of me is like _OMG! You're kissing your crush, Gilda! OMG! OMG! _And the other part's all like _WHAT THE FUDGE? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? QUIT IT, RIGHT NOW!_

Okay, I have to pause my thoughts for a moment. Must control self. Must not break out in giggles/squeals. Must be a calm girl/boy/female-posing-as-a-male person thing. Huh?

Thoughts starting back up in: Three...two...one...okay. Back now. So now we both pull away, and my face feels like it's burning.

"Uh..." Matthew starts.

"That was..." I start at the same time.

"Nice," we say in unison. Yay! We actually got to finish something just like in a movie!

"Can I tell you something?" Matthew asks.

"Yeah?"

"Well, remember the guy I was talking about earlier?"

"Mhm."

"Well...he's actually me."

What? Did I hear him correctly? I don't know whether to kiss him again and tell him about my crush on him (which has probably been extremely giant), or kick him out and yell at him to stop lying. Okay, I've decided. Taking a deep breath, I...

* * *

Author's Note: ^.^ Since Gilda was feeling all down and stuff, she gets a little treat~! Don't worry, don't worry, it won't be all unicorns and rainbows and happy PruCan for much longer. Oh, wait...That's a bad thing...Haha, my friend woke up in her driveway the other morning, so...yeah. But yeah, left y'all with a cliffhanger~! Anyone who can guess the song name and band of the 'encouragement music' gets a free cookie!

Ren-Kyo: Review, please?

-XiXi Scarlett (accompanied by her Renny-chan~!)

PS: OH, RIGHT! Lyrics for 'Falling Inside the Black'! Here's some of them 'cause most of them are just repeated:

_Tonight I'm so alone  
This sorrow takes a hold  
Don't leave me here so cold  
(Never want to be so cold)  
Your touch used to be so kind  
Your touch used to give me life  
I've wasted all this time  
I've wasted so much time  
Don't leave me alone  
'Cause I barely see at all  
Don't leave me alone, I'm_

_Falling in the black  
Slipping through the cracks  
Falling through the depths; can I ever go back?  
Dreaming of the way it used to be  
Can you hear me?  
Falling in the black  
Slipping through the cracks  
Falling to the depths; can I ever go back?  
Falling inside the black  
Falling inside, falling inside the black_

_You were my source of strength  
I've traded everything  
That I love for this one thing  
(Stranded in the offering)  
Don't leave me here like this  
Can't hear me scream from the abyss  
And now I wish for you my desire._

Lyrics belong to Skillet, not me!


End file.
